The Werewolf's Weakness
by Krusty
Summary: Remus Lupin and Lunar Black have been avoiding their feelings for each other since they were students at Hogwarts, however a sudden act of violence is to change this. Can their love beat the impossible odds?
1. The Beginning

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.

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**The Werewolf's Weakness.**

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**The Beginning.**

She was sat in the corner of a muggle bar, and although she was the only one sat at the table, it was filled with empty glasses.

With her elbows planted firmly on the table, he hands cupping the chin of her heart shaped face, and her long blonde hair let loose and dragging in the wet patches of alcohol she had spilt Lunar would be noticeable anywhere. The fact that she was talking to no one about nonsense just made her even more eye-catching.

"The Ministry are just a bunch of old tosspot wizards who wouldn't know a rule if it came and bit them on the arse!" Her usually creamy complexion was flushed with alcohol and anger, and her eyes were partly glazed over with the vodka she had drunk. She turned to a group of men who had come in earlier to watch a sport's game on TV, and (if that's possible) were in a worse state than her. 

"Can you imagine it?" She slurred. "They fired _me_! And why I hear you ask."

The men murmured along with her, they thought she was pretty even though she was spinning. "Because I gave my brother a file!" Her voice rose to an extremely high pitch. "Along with some other things not really worth mentioning…" She slumped on the table in dejection muttering "Miserable gits!".

She rose from the table and stood up, her chair fell over behind her.

"I am going to lead a rebellion! Who's with me?" She declared to the bar. She then sat down on the chair that was no longer there, giggling uncontrollably as she attempted to pull herself off of the floor using the table.

The barman, who had watched the show she had put on walked over to her. "Okay lady. You've had enough." He pulled her off the floor. "Where do you live?"

She laughed and put her arms around his neck. "Timbuktu!"

The men watching her created a circle around the barman. "We'll take her home!" One of them sneered.

The bartender looked at them suspiciously. "Do you know where she lives?"

"Course!" One of them elbowed another to stop him from talking. "She'll be safe with us. No problem."

Lunar – in her drunken state –pushed herself away from the bartender and headed towards the first man who spoke. He had blondish hair, but something about him reminded her of Sirius. The man caught her when she almost collapsed to the floor near him. "My saviour!" She exaggeratedly batted her eyelashes at him. "Of course they can take me home!" She declared.

"Are you sure lady? I can get you a taxi!" The barman said to Lunar, his eyes still on the group of men around him.

"I'll be (hic) fine! God you're just like my brother!" She turned her glazed eyes to the man holding her. "Lead on!"

They staggered out of the bar.

Lunar felt herself being dropped on the pavement a couple of blocks away from the bar. "This isn't my house!" She slurred.

"No it isn't." The blonde guy mocked her. He turned to the group who were looking at Lunar intently. "I told you guys that we'd find a little fun at a muggle bar! Here she is! Sirius Black's sister, and an Auror as well!"

She frowned. "You're wizards?" She slurred, attempting to push herself from the floor. 

"No…" The blonde guy sneered sarcastically at her. "And we don't like to be associated with that type." He grinned leeringly.

"Then…?" She sunk to the floor. The pavement kept slipping from her hands so she gave up trying to sit up. 

"Ahhh… It's time." He lifted his sleeve and she saw the dark mark on it.

"No!" She tried to crawl away from them, but she had drunk too much and left her wand at home.

"Avery! Hurry! Lord Voldemort is calling us." Another man said seriously.

"Yes… And she will be our gift to him."


	2. Discovery

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

**Chapter 2**

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**Discovery.**

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Remus Lupin was sat at his desk when his fireplace suddenly lit up. "Incoming Call for Remus Lupin from St Mungo's Hospital. Will you take the call?"

_'I'm not expecting a call…'_ He thought, and then shrugged. 

"Yes. I'll take the call."

A tall thin man stepped through the fireplace. He dusted off his white coat and turned to face Remus.

"Remus Lupin?" At Remus' nod he continued. "I am Doctor Crosby. I am here to inform you that we have a Lunar Black at our hospital. We have been unable to reach her brother…" He looked at the clipboard he had. "Sirius Black, and her sister Andromeda Black has been called away on important Ministry business. After that you are her next of kin."

Remus had jumped from his chair at the name Lunar, his usually pale face going even paler. 

"Lunar?" He rasped. "What happened?" 

"I'm sorry sir I am unable to tell you that here. I would appreciate it if you could get your affairs in order and come to the hospital as soon as possible. She is in the White Eagle ward."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Remus had packed a small suitcase, told Albus that he would need some time off, and headed for St Mungo's all in the space of half an hour. When he reached the ward Doctor Crosby met him. 

"Come to my office." He said gravely. 

"I want to see Lunar." Remus said, his gravelly voice had a sharp edge to it.

The doctor nodded. "You will. First I need to tell you about her condition. She has suffered some substantial injuries. I don't want you to go in there not prepared."

They walked to his office, Remus' body was rigid with tension. "Well? What happened?"

"It appears she was set upon by a group of Death Eaters." The doctor waited until Remus was sat down in his chair before continuing, but he noted the murderous look in his eyes and the fact that he had gripped his hands so tightly that he had drawn blood. 

"She came to us unconscious having several blows to the head and torso. We have mended the bones that were broken; most of her physical scars have been healed. She still has some swelling and bruising around her facial area, however in cases like this the majority of the problem will be psychological…" The doctor paused. "We have performed some tests on her, and unfortunately they all come up with the same result. She has had a curse put on her. It is a mind control curse, commonly known as the cage curse."

"The cage curse?" Remus' voice had taken on a dangerous note. "Are you sure?"

"Yes sir. We have performed every test available to us and they all say the same. We are quite willing if you want a second opinion."

"No. Have.." Remus cleared the frog from his throat and started again. "Have the Death Eaters been caught?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that sir." Deciding that he would let Remus see Lunar before he killed someone, he quickly interrupted the questions being rapidly fired at him. "Lets go and see her now, okay?"

Remus had to stop himself from going too near Lunar when he reached her bedside. He knew that if he did that he would sweep her up into his arms and take her far away from this place, far away from her troubles. He looked at her face swollen and covered in nasty purple bruises. Her hair hung limply by her face. Remus looked at the doctor. "When can I take her home?"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

_'Remus!'_ Lunar sobbed softly as she awoke. She looked up at the ceiling, expecting the white swirling patterns of the hospital, instead she was confronted by a cream colour turning into a soft pink wall. She looked around her surroundings confused. It appeared that she was partially sitting up in a four-poster double bed in a dusty pink room. The cream coloured curtains were drawn, only hinting at the brightness of the sun outside. _'Where..?'_ Her voice rasped. Every muscle in her body ached.

When she was in the hospital she had regained lucid consciousness a couple of times to realise where she was. For the past few nights however, she had only dozed on and off slipping from dreams to a trance-like state. She looked around her again. The pine four poster bed took up most of the space in the room, but there was a pine blanket box, and a rocking chair and…

_'Water!_ She gasped looking at the crystal cut bottle and glass on the bedside table. She tried to reach out to the glass that was half full of water with a straw coming from it but her arm wouldn't move. She tried to move any part of her body, but nothing happened.

_'Help!'_ She called.

A creaking noise came from outside the door and Lunar whimpered in fear, she was alone in a strange house.

The door opened gently, no noise came from it. "Lunar?" A soft voice whispered. 

"Lunar? Are you okay?" The floorboards creaked as the man approached the bed.

She could sense the man coming closer to her. She tried to shut her eyes as he approached. 

_'Don't hurt me!'_ She whimpered.

"Shhh… Don't worry Lunar, its Remus." Remus put the sheet over her shoulders and stood at the side of the bed uncertainly.

_'Remus?'_ Lunar croaked. 

Remus smiled at her gently. He picked up a glass from the tray on the table and poured her some more water. "Here." He said. He reached to help her sit up. Remus looked into her eyes and froze, his smile glued to his face. "I won't hurt you. Please trust me."

Lunar's eyes filled with tears. _'I don't know what's happening to me.'_ She confided.

Remus stood over her and helped her sip at the water he was holding. She appeared to be able to drink and eat with a little help.

_'Where am I?' _She asked, trying to avert Remus' attention from her helplessness.

"You've not been to my house have you?" He asked softly.

_'Your… your house?'_ She asked. _'This is your house? When did you get it?'_

He looked into her blue eyes intently. There was a strange light in Remus' eyes Lunar had never seen before but, before she could look closer, it was gone.

 "Here.." He offered her the water again. When she had drunk her fill he topped up the glass with the water from the bottle.

She took this time to study Remus again. He had light brown hair flecked with grey, which was surprising considering his age. She remembered when his hair had no grey in it at all. She flushed slightly, that was when she had that ridiculous childhood crush on him. She recalled the way she had treated him, not knowing what her feeling had meant she had made a show of ignoring him and flirting with every other boy in the school.

She came out of her daze when she realised that she had been staring at Remus in silence. He was looking at her.

_'Remus. Why am I here?'_ She asked tentatively. _'And why can't I move?'_

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

_'What was she thinking?' _He thought to himself as he watched her. 

He saw a slight flush in her cheeks so he removed the heavy blanket covering her and replaced it with a sheet he floated from a blanket box.

"Are you hungry? Do you want anything to eat? Is there anything you fancy?" He asked her to fill the silence.

She seemed to think about that for a while. 

He stood up from the bed, and shook his head. He gazed at his hands helplessly.

"Stupid, stupid! She's not going to talk to you."

He looked at her intently again. Sitting down next to her on the bed he pushed a strand of blonde hair away from her cheek. "You have no idea what's happened do you?"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

_'What do you mean "what's happened"?' _She asked cautiously. _'Has something happened to Sirius? Not Pat? Or Andromeda?' _She tried to sit up but again her defiant muscles wouldn't move. She looked at him and saw that his usual deep brown eyes were mournful. _'Not death?'_

She wanted to strangle him, but she made do with yelling at him. _'What's happened?'_

He sighed. "I'm glad you won't remember the group of Death Eaters that attacked you."

She frowned, or she would have frowned if her forehead would work. _'I remember them. What have they got to do with Sirius?'_

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "They say you won't even know that you've been put under the cage curse…"

_'Wait! Remus, No! I haven't been put under the curse. See? I'm still here!'_ She protested, but he kept on talking, he couldn't hear her.

_'I've been put under the curse?' _She thought to herself. 

"…I'm trying to do all I can." He looked dejectedly at her for a second, but tried to cheer both himself, and the empty shell of Lunar up. "Everyone is finding out ways to help you. Severus is looking for potions, Albus and Moody are looking for curses… We're also attempting to find Sirius and Pat. We'll fix this." He seemed to have the same expression from when they were students at Hogwarts, serious, with an air of sadness about him. He sighed and rose from the bed.

"I'll be back in half an hour to check on you." He smiled distractedly. "I've chosen yellow goop for dinner, I hope you don't mind."

After gazing at her one final time he left the room. His shoulders hunched over in grief.

_'No! No! Stay with me Remus! You've got to help me! You've got to do something! Please!'_

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A/N Thanks to Vix, Iluvlegolas, Kekelina, and Annoriel for reviewing the first chapter!!!


	3. Emotions

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books. 

Anything in Italics said by Lunar is thought only, and no one can hear it!!

Chapter 3 

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**Emotions.**

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"Damn!" Remus hit the wall opposite the door he just left in anger.

He had just left Lunar's room where the diagnosis of the doctors had proven to be correct. 

He had stared into Lunar's face and seen nothing. Her blank expression terrified him more than the wolf he became. He couldn't control either of them.

"Why did it have to be her?" He asked bleakly. He used his wand and fixed the hole he had just made in the wall, and then wrapped his bloody hand in a handkerchief. He turned towards the door to Lunar's room and rested his head against it. Using some meditation exercises he had learnt after discovering his werewolf condition, he calmed down. He had learnt long ago that strong emotions didn't make the problem go away, it just obscured the solution.

His eyes blurred for a second, and he recalled the last time he saw Lunar. It was at Sirius and Pat's wedding, he had been best man and Lunar had been a bridesmaid. His hand pushed up against the door as he remembered standing at the altar watching Lunar swan down the aisle. Growling he removed the memory from his eyes and walked down towards the kitchen.

Severus and Albus would be coming soon to see if they could do anything for Lunar.

He remembered when he returned to Hogwarts before bringing Lunar to his home. He had asked Albus to help with no qualms, but seeing the self-satisfied smirk on Severus' face had driven him to fury. He would not have asked for his help if it hadn't been for Lunar.

After healing his bruised and bleeding hand he conjured some food for himself and sat down, facing the fireplace in the yellow dining room to eat. The pasta dish he had produced was delicious, red tomatoes with peppers on soft penne pasta, but Remus didn't taste it. His mind was on the girl in the bedroom above him, and the task that was set for him. 

When he took Lunar out of the hospital the doctors still hadn't been able to contact Sirius, and now she was in his care they no longer had to. It was up to him to find him. He grimaced at the table and remembered the first time he had seen Lunar. Sirius had not been pleased that Remus' first crush had been on his sister. He knew that Sirius should know about Lunar's illness, but he was still hoping that he had time with her.

The fireplace lit up suddenly, and Albus walked out of it brushing the soot off, Severus followed looking around the bright airy primrose-coloured dining room in disgust.

"Albus." Remus stood up and acknowledged the Professor. "What have you found out?"

Albus took off his spectacles and started to clean them. "Not a lot, I'm afraid. The curse is not often used, and what I have found is very vague. The Curse renders the victim incapacitated. It allows the person to do a certain amount of unconscious functions, such as breathing, and swallowing, but other muscle control is severely reduced."

"Yes, yes, we know all of that." Remus said impatiently, but Albus held up his hand to silence him. 

"The name "the Cage Curse" was chosen by a man called Thomas Wilde, he studied the curse for many years in the fifteenth century when a total of twelve people were cursed. His studies led him to believe that the person was still inside his or her body, and could use all five senses. They could see everything that was going on around them, but could not contact the outside world. Almost as if they were trapped, caged in side their own body." Albus sat down and sighed. "It was only a supposition though. There was never any physical proof."

"What about the twelve people? Did they find a cure?" Remus asked agitatedly.

Albus shook his head slowly. "No. I'm afraid that none of them were ever cured. Their bodies grew old and died."

Remus sank onto the chair in depression.

"Well, don't ask me then." Severus said snidely.

Remus looked at him in hopelessness. "Have you found any possible cures?"

"I have found some very old potions in books that have not been read for a long time and might help in this situation. The ingredients are rather difficult to obtain but the potion will be ready as soon as they are found."

Remus nodded. "I appreciate what you're doing Severus."

Severus shrugged and wandered over to the far side of the room away from Remus.

Albus sat next to Remus and put his hand on his shoulder. "Every Professor is searching their speciality for cures. They all send their best wishes."

Remus nodded, then inspiration struck him. "What about the centaurs? Has anyone asked them?" 

Albus shook his head thoughtfully. "No… It could be an idea."

Severus barked out a laugh. "Stargazers. They don't tell you anything."

"We have to try everything." Albus looked meaningfully at Severus, and again Severus retreated to another corner of the room. "How's the search for Sirius going?" He asked.

Remus groaned. "You would have thought that they would leave some sort of plan, but no. I've narrowed the search by a few countries out of thousands." He sighed. "I've contacted everyone I know, if they see them then they will contact me. I've talked to every wizard hotel they haven't seen them. I think they've been staying in muggle accommodation so I'm going to phone some of them. Sirius and Pat did say some of the places they wanted to visit, but… Sometimes I think it's hopeless."

Albus nodded consolingly. "You're doing the best you can." He looked up at the ceiling. "Can I go up and see her?"

Remus nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Albus left the room and hummed to himself as he went up the stairs.

Remus stood up and grabbed his plate. He took it into the kitchen; it was taken off him by his house elf irately. 

"Humph!" The elf said, upon discovering that Remus had made his own meal.

It was already annoyed with the fact that every few weeks it had to go to Hogwarts because of Remus' condition, but Remus didn't care how angry Fingers got, as long as he didn't hurt her.

"Thanks." He said distractedly and went back into the dining room.

Albus hadn't returned from Lunar's room, but Severus was still there, looking at the walls in distaste.

"Yellow!" He muttered. 

Although at one time Severus was Remus' mortal enemy, Remus now thought of Severus as more of as acquaintance. 

"Come on." He said sympathetically, and took him into another room. This one was a dark blue study. It was cluttered with books and dust. (Fingers was expressly forbidden from the room!)

Severus seemed to relax (a bit). He turned to Remus.

"We're doing everything we can." Severus said patronisingly, but with a strange expression on his face. He swallowed slowly, and carried on speaking – albeit reluctantly. "You… you're doing… well in the circumstances."

Remus looked at Severus in disbelief. "Uhhhh… Thanks." 

Severus nodded briskly, and turned away from Remus. He scanned the books and said. "I'll bring the next batch of potion with some possible cures for Miss Black."

Remus nodded, but stayed silent. He knew that Severus didn't need for or want him to say anything.

Albus came into the room, it was as if he knew that Severus had had something to say to Remus, and had now finished.

"I'm done." He said. "Are you ready?" 

Severus nodded, and unenthusiastically returned to the yellow dining room.

"We'll be back as soon as we've found something." He said kindly. "Don't worry Remus, we'll fix this."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Albus pushed another shrub away from his face and looked around the clearing.

"See anything Albus?" Hagrid said to him jovially, and so loud that he scared the fox in the clearing.

Albus' shoulders drooped slightly. He knew that he couldn't have stopped Hagrid from going into the forbidden forest with him; he just wished he could make him a little quieter.

"Not yet Hagrid." Albus whispered to the half-giant, who was peering over his shoulder into the clearing.

"The sky is clear tonight. Makes stargazing easier." A calm voice came from behind them. It made Hagrid jump.

"Alright Bane?" He asked casually when he had identified the centaur behind them.

"Venus is bright tonight."

"Makes a change from Mars." Hagrid muttered.

"We need your help." Albus said, shooting a look at Hagrid. "A girl has been put under the cage curse, do you know a cure?"

"Venus is bright tonight…" The centaur repeated serenely. "As is Mars. Mars is bright tonight."

"I knew Mars was coming." Hagrid muttered grumpily, and walked across to the clearing kicking a small stone.

Albus sighed, and left the centaur with his stars.

"Told you it was a bad idea." Hagrid murmured to him. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you'll never get a straight answer from a centaur. Bloody…."

Albus stopped listening to Hagrid's mutterings when he had heard the psst coming from the bushes.

He wandered over to them, aware that Bane was still in the clearing.

"Hello?" He murmured to the bushes.

"Come with me." A calm voice said.

Albus pushed his way past the thorns in the bushes and came face to face with Firenze, the centaur that saved Harry when he was in his first year.

"Firenze? What…?"

"Shhh, we have not got much time." He put his hand over the old wizards mouth, but removed it respectfully. "We know why you are here."

"We?" Albus asked confusedly.

"Yes, when my people heard about how I saved the Potter boy we split. Some of us believe that our talent should not be wasted. We wish to help."

Albus nodded. "And I thank you for it."

"The girl is important to the mission. As many people are needed to defeat _him_."

Albus nodded again. "She is under th.."

"The cage curse, yes. I have consulted the stars and they have suggested something. It may not work, but at the moment it is the best chance you have."

At that moment a roar came from the clearing. "Firenze! Do you not see what you are doing?"

"Bane." Firenze whispered. "You must go. All I can say is Corybant. Now go!"

He pushed Albus towards the path for Hogwarts and cantered away.

"Albus!" Hagrid came rushing up to him. "Thank Merlin! I thought I'd lost you!"

"Corybants. I have to find the Corybants."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Yes, yes I understand that you can't tell me where they went if they don't tell you… Yes okay… Can you at least tell me when they left? … A couple of days ago you say… Thank you, really thank you… Yes if you do hear from them then tell them to contact me, the same goes for if you find out where they might be going. I'm Remus Lupin, you can contact me through… Yes, thank you. I appreciate your help… Yes bye!"

Remus sighed as he sat down. This had been the fifth muggle hotel he had phoned that day and only that one had heard of Sirius.

He trudged up to Lunar's room to shut the window he had left open. It had been a warm day today, but now it was turning cold.

He walked into the room and shut the window, and then he went over to the bed.

"How are you doing Lunar?" He said softly, never expecting an answer, but always hoping for one. 

"It's a bit cold so I thought I'd shut the window." He pointed to the window, keeping his eyes firmly on the girl in the bed.

He saw the goose bumps on her body, and sat beside her on the bed.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

_'It's about time you got here!' _Lunar thought irritably. _'I'm freezing.'_

She noticed that he had seen her goose bumps.

_'Yeah! I'm cold. What are you…?'_ She asked as he sat down on the bed next to her.

Shivers ran up her spine as she felt him rubbing his hands up and down her arms to warm her.

_'Oohhhh!' _She moaned slowly, feeling the roughened skin of his hands, caressing the cold away.

He stopped suddenly, and stared down at her. _'Ohhhh! Don't stop!'_

She heard him mutter. "I shouldn't be doing this." Then he perched on the bed, his back turned towards her. 

She heard two thuds as some things hit the floor, and then felt his arms wrap around her as he moved her into a reclined position. He laid himself down next to her, and put his arms around her, hugging her close.

"Go to sleep." He mumbled, and she felt his breath on her cheeks change to slowly and deeply.

She relaxed into his arms. _'Why couldn't you have done this when we were students at Hogwarts?"_ She asked sleepily, and drifted off…__

…To a time long ago when she had first met the enigmatic, soulful man.

A/N.

If you do want a sneaky preview of things to come I found Corybant in an Encyclopaedia (I spent too much time studying for this, and not enough on schoolwork or a social life!).

Thanks to Annoriel and Aryanna for reviewing! I hope this explains about the Cage Curse and I'm sorry if it seems confusing. (I forgot to mention that no-one but the reader can hear what Lunar says!) 

I can't wait for OOTP to come out!! I ordered it in February!!!

Happy reading

Love

Krusty.

xxx


	4. Lunar Lupin

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

(A/N The large passages of italic are still flashbacks.)****

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**Chapter 4**

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**Lunar Lupin**

_"It's this way. I swear it is!" Primrose Hardwin said with no conviction at all._

_"Are you sure?" Antonia Murphy (who everybody called Toni) said cautiously._

_Primrose turned to the other girl Lunar Black. "Well? What do you think?"_

_The three girls were stood on a staircase in the middle of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and they were lost. _

_It hadn't taken that long for the three girls to gravitate towards each other after being sorted into Gryffindor, and become firm friends._

_They were a sight to behold. _

_Primrose Hardwin was the tallest of the girls, she was also the most stubborn. She had short spiky jet black hair, observant violet eyes, and a plump – but not fat – frame. She could trace her rich wizarding family back to Merlin himself, and although many people boasted it, in this case it was true!_

_Toni Murphy was by far the shortest of the girls, and also the worrywart. She had mousy-browny/blondish/ginger hair (it could never make up it's mind), big brown eyes, and a skinny frame, which was swamped by the large robe her parents had bought her. ("You'll grow into it!")_

_Finally Lunar Black was a medium sized, blonde haired, blue eyed, medium build girl. She was the spitting image of her mother. Which caused a lot of speculative looks from the male population of Hogwarts. And she loved it!_

_They were trying to get to their first class of the day. Charms. Unfortunately it was their third day at Hogwarts and the designated prefect who had been showing them around, had decided that they should know where they were going by then._

_"Okay. Where is charms being held?" Lunar asked the other two._

_The other two shrugged agitatedly. _

_"Right… Where are we now?" She asked the other two._

_Again they shrugged. _

_"How did we get here then?" Lunar asked._

_"I dunno! I was following Primrose!" Toni said, fearfully._

_"Well I was following you!" Primrose's posh accent came through strong when she was afraid and now her clipped tones echoed through the corridor._

_Lunar looked around her. "Well do you see anything familiar?"_

_A growl came from the staircase underneath them. "You'd better hurry up. Professor Malory deducts House Points for late students, whether they have an excuse or not."_

_Lunar leaned far over the banister, holding her long blonde hair behind her head. "Hello?" She asked cautiously._

_"What are you doing?" Primrose hissed. "It could be one of them Slytherin boys again!"_

_"Yeah! This all started when we followed instructions from them!" Toni whispered. _

_"Come on! I'd rather get even more lost than see those scumbags again." Primrose said loudly and, taking Toni's arm in hers marched further up the stairs._

_"I can't see anyone!" Lunar hissed at their retreating backs. Then she felt her grip loosen on the stairs. "Whoah!" She fell headlong over the handrail only stopping when she felt someone grip her arm and pull her back._

_"Thanks!" She said. Brushing her hair from her eyes she was surprised to see a young man holding her arm. She blushed, he was gorgeous. He had light brown hair, which gently flicked around his collar, and grey eyes, they looked searchingly into hers._

_"Are you okay?" _

_Lunar was shaken to the core, but it wasn't because of the fall. _

_"Lunar? Are you okay?" He asked again, his gruff voice softened slightly._

_She managed to get her voice back, and ignoring her friends' speculative looks, said._

_"You know my name?"_

_The boy smiled softly. "Yeah. I don't think we've met. I'm Remus, Remus Lupin. Sirius' friend."_

_"Remus?" Her voice croaked. He was being so nice to her, unlike her older brother, who delighted in teasing her, and completely unlike the other boys who drooled all over her._

_"Yeah." He turned to the other girls and smiled. They immediately stopped making kissing and thumbs-up motions behind her back and smiled innocently. "I take it you want to get to charms?"_

_"Yes." Primrose answered firmly._

_"Do we have time?" Toni asked, looking at her worn watch hurriedly._

_Lunar just looked at her arm, where Remus was still holding onto her. She felt the warmth coming from his soft, large and pale hand. She blushed slightly when she realised that she had been staring at his hand for a while._

_"… Well?" He turned towards her, his grey eyes probing hers gently. He looked at where she was staring and removed his hand from her arm._

_Lunar ignored the grinning faces of her friends, and said distractedly. "Sorry, I was miles away. Could you say that again?"_

_He smiled at her gently, but his eyes became shuttered. "I said I can take you to Charms, and get you there in time, but you'll have to trust me."_

_Lunar smiled back at him. "Take me…." She breathed, and blushed when she realised what she said. "We don't want to be late for charms."_

_Remus nodded. "Of course."_

_He stamped his foot on the staircase. "Move!" He commanded._

_The staircase slowly began to turn around; Primrose, Lunar, and Toni grabbed the banisters, looking slightly green in the face._

_"Where…?" Toni asked trailing off._

_"You'll see." Remus said, and stamped his foot again to stop the staircase._

_"What did you do that for?" Primrose asked with annoyance. "The hallways are over there! All we can do is climb up to that stupid painting!"_

_He climbed up to the painting and stopped. "You coming?" He asked._

_The girls frowned at each other, but decided to follow him anyway._

_He put his hand on the side of the painting and ran it up and down. There was a click, and the painting swung open._

_"I'll go first. It can be dark in there and you don't know the route." He held out his hand. "Hold hands with each other in a line, then one of you hold onto me." He said. _

_Primrose and Toni held hands with each other and pushed Lunar towards Remus._

_She reached for his hand hesitantly._

He grasped her hand in his, and she felt a shock go up her arm and into the pit of her stomach. She glared at her giggling friends and followed Remus into the dark.

~ * ~

"He was nice! Wasn't he nice?" Toni asked Lunar later when they had got out of charms and back to the Gryffindor common room.

_True to his word Remus had got them there before Professor Malory had arrived, much to the infuriation of the Slytherins._

_"Wasn't who nice?" Lunar asked innocently, remembering the firmness of his hand as he had led her through the dark passageways._

_Toni and Primrose rolled their eyes and shared looks of annoyance._

_"What exactly do you mean who do I mean?" Toni asked exasperatedly, while Primrose picked up her charms notebook and waved it at her._

_"Hellooo?" She said, and started to flick through the pages of the book. "Here we have a prime example." She said, and showed Lunar the page where she had written neatly._

_LB For RL forever._

She then flicked to the next page, which was full of:

_Lunar Lupin_

_Lunar Lupin_

Lunar Lupin 

"Now tell me who you think I mean!" Toni said, while giggling.

Lunar blushed. "What?" She asked the other two. "I'm not marrying anybody whose last name doesn't go with mine!"

They burst into laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" Sirius entered the room, winking at Lunar's two friends and loosely draping an arm over Lunar's shoulders.

Lunar shot daggered looks at her friends, Primrose hid the book behind her back, while Toni looked innocently at Sirius.

"Lunar was just telling us about your most embarrassing moments, wanna stick around?"

"What?!" Sirius looked at Lunar. "You had better not be!"

Lunar grinned at him. "This is a girly conversation, nothing to do with you."

Sirius relaxed and started to make himself comfortable on the arm of Lunar's chair.

"If you don't leave now it will be about you though." She raised her voice. "I remember when Mum had to change your sheets every night because mumph hutrth…"

Sirius put his hands over Lunar's mouth and turned to the captive audience.

 "Nothing to see here!" He lowered his voice threateningly, but only teasingly. "Okay! Okay! I'm going! You had better be careful or I might set my friends on you." 

He turned and waved at James and Remus who had just entered the room.

Lunar and Remus shared a long look, and Lunar felt a frission of excitement run up her spine.

"I don't think that was much of a warning." She heard Toni murmur to Primrose.

Primrose agreed. "Yes. I think she would like to be set upon by Remus." They giggled.

"You're not wrong there." Lunar admitted quietly as Sirius made his way over to his friends and she reluctantly broke eye contact with Remus.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

(Present day)

Remus watched her for a moment. He had woken up thirsty, but all that changed when he had seen her lying next to him.

She looked so serene, but Remus would prefer her to be angry and wild if it meant that she was awake.

He watched her; it appeared to him that she was asleep. He suppressed the urge to kiss her. It may have worked on Prince Charming, but it wasn't going to do much good here, he also knew that if he started kissing her he wasn't likely to be able to stop.

"Frustrated pervert." He whispered to himself, and looked at her red lips. 

He sighed despairingly. "I would never have seen her like this if it hadn't been for the curse. Who would share a bed with a man like me, let alone a werewolf? If Lunar was awake…"

His shoulders slumped, he wasn't sure if she would ever be awake again.

He yawned.

"What's that expression?" He murmured to himself as he fell back to sleep.

  
"It's better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all… Completely untrue. It's much better to love and have her still."

A/N OH MY GOD!! I can't believe that JK Rowling did that!!! I honestly believed that someone else would die. I never thought it would be Sirius!!!! Man!

I still intend to write about him though!!!!

Thanks to: Annoriel, Iluvlegolas, and Squirrel for reviewing.

Love to you all,

See you soon

Krusty.


	5. A Crush?

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

(A/N A block of italics is a flashback.)

****

**Chapter 5**

****

**A Crush???**

_"Tell me again why I'm here James." Remus asked his friend._

_Sirius butted in. "You're here because it's the first day of term, so we're going to have a great feast and watch the sorting ceremony!" He grinned. "It's even possible that this year we find someone that you like!"_

_James rolled his eyes and shared a look of irritation with Lily._

_"Sirius! The sorting ceremony is about the first-years enrolment into the school, not a parade of possible victims of your charm!" Lily reprimanded him, but softer than usual. She remembered the sorting ceremony two years ago where James and she had been sorted, and she had drooled over him then._

_Remus went off into his own little world, as per usual and remembered his, and last year's, sorting ceremony. He had been fine for his sorting, it had fallen on a crescent moon. Last year's however had fallen on a full moon, and he had come down with the "flu". This year there was no escaping the torture through which James and Lily stared into each other's eyes, Sirius picked out future girlfriends, and he would have to entertain Peter. _

_Usually he enjoyed Peter's company, but there was something about public places that made Remus irritable._

_"…there she is!" Sirius said triumphantly._

_Remus turned towards the victim of Sirius' attention, and felt a shock go through him. She was unlike every girl Sirius had ever gone out with. Sirius preferred brunettes and red heads, he rarely picked up blondes.   
"What do you think Remus?" Sirius asked mischievously._

_Remus looked at the girl again, and felt the same rush of energy go through him. He groaned inwardly. 'I think I like Sirius' new victim.' He thought to himself. Sighing he stared at the girl, and then at Sirius. She would never go for a boy like him when Sirius was on the prowl. He forced a smile to his lips._

_"Yeah. She looks nice." He said._

_Sirius, James, Lily and Peter looked at him dumfounded._

_"She looks nice…?" Sirius said strangely._

"Yeah." Remus said slowly.

_"Are you interested in her?" James asked._

_Remus looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?" He asked slowly._

_Sirius wasn't saying anything. He was looking from the girl to Remus and back again._

_Lily smiled at Remus. "You haven't heard a word Sirius has said, have you?"_

_Remus now realised that he had said something wrong somewhere, and looked blankly at his friends' faces._

_Peter (who was sat beside Sirius, opposite him) kicked him under the table. "Sister!" He mouthed at Remus._

_"Your sister?" Remus all but yelled._

_"Yeah!" Sirius finally spoke. "She is." He raised his eyebrow questioningly. "Who did you think she was?"_

_Remus swallowed audibly. He had met Andromeda, Sirius' sister who was two years older than them and, who looked like Sirius. Then heard all about Sirius' younger sister Lunar over the two years. Remus knew that he was fiercely protective over her._

_"I don't know." He heard the hat yell Gryffindor! And decided that escape was the only option._

_"I, I … ummm I feel a bit funny. I'm going to turn in." He said weakly._

_Lily looked at him amusedly. "Poor Remus. Of course you must." She grinned._

_James grimaced at him, and mouthed. "I'll sort it out!"_

_Peter nodded, and Sirius narrowed his eyes at Remus._

_Remus could see the blonde hair bobbing towards him, and knew that she would be coming towards her brother._

_He grimaced, and turned to go._

_Upon reaching the door to the Great Hall, he turned back and saw the blonde girl chatting animatedly to her brother and his friends._

_"A crush!" He muttered to himself painfully. "And why did it have to be on Sirius' sister?"_

_~ * ~_

"Stupid! Stupid!" Remus muttered to himself as he made his way to his class. He glanced at his watch to discover that he was 10 minutes late already.

"All because you wanted to play Knight in Shining White Armour." He muttered.

He recalled the way he had held her, stopping her from falling over the banister. "You could have done a cushioning spell… you could have made the banister grip onto her… you could have done any number of things, but no! You had to torture yourself with the feel of her skin."

_After slipping unnoticed into Professor Binn's classroom, he sat at his desk and stared blankly at the blackboard._

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Remus woke up again; the sun was just about to rise. He took one last longing look at Lunar, and then went back downstairs.

He rubbed his stubbly chin and thought about his dream. He had relived the first time he had met Lunar, obviously she was on his mind.

He shut his eyes for a moment and remembered the first time he had touched her, she had almost fallen from a staircase, and he had caught her.

He groaned, and rubbed his sore muscles in his neck.

"I'm of no use to Lunar by thinking about the past now." He told himself. "I have to find Sirius, and I have to find him now."

He checked his messages on the telephone he had bought. There was a message from a friend in Spain.

"Remus, I haven't seen Sirius recently. If I see him then I'll let you know."

His shoulders slumped in desperation, but his heart rose as he heard the next message.

"Remus! I last saw him in Venice a couple of days ago. He said he was going to Paris next. Sorry, but I got your message after I saw him or I would have told him to contact you. If I see him again I'll tell him you're looking for him."

"Paris!" Remus exclaimed, and rushed to a bookcase in his study. He heaved a big red book from one of the shelves and blew the dust from it. "Floo Network" He read.

He opened the book and ran his fingers down the page, uttering as he did so…

"Paris, Paris, where… Ah! Eiffel Tower!" He frowned, and shut the book.

Crossing to the fire he threw some floo into it and cried out "Hogwarts!" clearly.

"Albus!" He called when he reached the school. "I think I may know where Sirius is!!! Albus!!"

"Professor!" A voice called out from behind him. 

Remus swung round to see Harry stood in the room. "Harry! I need you to do something for me!"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Pat giggled uncontrollably as Sirius swung her around him. He was acting like a schoolboy and showing off to her, and she loved it!!

"Look!" He almost yelled, and took her across to a small stall with assorted toys on it. "What do you want?"

She looked carefully at the stand and tapped her lip thoughtfully. She could feel Sirius gaze drawn to her lip, and enjoyed the warmth that filled her abdomen. She smiled knowingly, as he drew her close to him and growled in her ear.

"Hurry up. We still have a couple of days in the hotel!"

She smiled at him innocently. "But I want to see the Eiffel Tower! Apparently it's supposed to be a wonderfully large construction!"

He looked at her. "I know of an equally wonderful _large_ construction." 

She kissed him swiftly. 

"I think I've chosen one…" She looked at the stall again.

He stood behind her and casually wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Which one then?" He murmured in her ear.

The storekeeper looked on them indulgently. "Desirée-vous un petit quelque chose? Mademoiselle?"

"Oui. Je desire la hippopotame." She pointed to one of the toys in the corner.

Sirius looked at her in disbelief. "That one?"

"Yeah! He reminds me of you!"

The stall keeper handed her the toy, and she cuddled the small hippo gently.

"Why? Because it's small and cute?"

"No, because it's tubby and it's got no brains." She pinched Sirius waist, where she knew there had been a bit of growth since their luxurious honeymoon started.

"Tubby?" He said distressfully.  
Pat laughed at his hurt face. "You have to admit that you haven't been exercising that much!"  
"Well…" He nuzzled her ear. "We'd better get back to the hotel room and do some exercise."

"You have a one track mind." She scolded. "However, so do I." Then she kissed him again.

Sirius pressed her body firmly against his, and deepened the kiss, searching through her mouth with her tongue.

She stopped him. "Not before we see the Eiffel tower though!"

He pouted, but all she did was poke him in the ribs. "Remember, I'm your wife now! I have no sympathy!" She grinned mischievously, and then whooped as he swept her off her feet and headed towards the Eiffel Tower.

"Fine! If you won't come to bed with me until you've seen the Eiffel Tower then lets go see the Eiffel Tower!" He exclaimed, and a few French people around them clapped and cheered at his display.

"Sirius!" Pat yelled, slapping at his hands. "Put me down now! I'm warning you! Siriu… Remus?"

"I object to you calling me by my best friend's name when I'm trying to be romantic." Sirius grumbled good-naturedly.

Pat swatted at his head. "No, he's over there! I just saw him."

"Where?" Sirius asked, putting her back on her feet and scanning the crowds.

"Pick me up again." She said distractedly. He did as he was told and she sought Remus' face again. "Remus!" She yelled at the retreating figure. "Remus!"

He turned slowly, spotted them, and made his way purposefully towards them.

"He's coming." She said to Sirius, and he placed her on the floor.

"Remus!" Sirius said jovially, and hugged the man who had approached. "What are you doing here? Tell me everything about home! How's Harry?"

Pat surveyed Remus thoughtfully. He had black bags under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in a while, and his clothes were rumpled, as if he had slept in them.

"Sirius." She placed her hand on his shoulder and drew him away from Remus. She then gripped Sirius' hand reassuringly. "Tell us what's wrong."

Remus looked around them. "Not here."

"Whatever it is it must be important, so tell us. Now." She added firmly.

"It's Lunar. She's been put under the cage curse." 

Pat could feel Sirius stiffen as he heard the name Lunar, he moved closer to Remus.

"Take us there, now."

A/N 

As you can probably tell I'm not taking into consideration any of the actions in OOTP. And I'm really sorry to any of the readers that may have not got to the part in OOTP that I mentioned!!! (Thanks PreciousGirl, *blushes* that put me in my place!!!)

Thanks to Annoriel, PreciousGirl and MoonyLover for reviewing. 

Love Krusty. 


	6. Red Or White?

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Chapter 6 Red Or White?. 

"Sirius! Pat!" Harry's eyes lit up as the three people stepped out of the Floo network and into Remus' living room. "Thank God! They found you! At last!" 

Sirius gave Harry a quick hug, and turned towards the stairs. "Which room is she in?"

Remus caught hold of Harry's sleeve. "Go to Hogwarts and get Albus. Explain that I've found Sirius, and that we may need him." He whispered seriously. He then turned his attention to Sirius. "Sit down for a moment."

"No." Sirius said stubbornly, watching Harry's reluctant exit. "I have to see her."

Pat caught hold of Sirius and led him to one of the sofas. "What do you know so far?" She asked in her authoritative Auror's voice.

Remus sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Not much."

"Well tell us what you do know." Pat said, accepting a cup of tea from Fingers, who was scurrying around with a tray full of cups, saucers, biscuits, and sandwiches.

"Lunar was fired from the ministry of magic not long after you left…"

"WHAT!" Sirius all but yelled. "Why were we not contacted then?"

Pat hushed him, and motioned for Remus to continue.

"I had no idea that this had happened until after the attack upon her. Apparently they discovered that she had copied information about an Auror and sent it to people." Remus sighed.

"She would never do that!" Sirius said outraged. "What was their proof?"

Pat placed her fingers to Sirius' lips. "Everything in good time. We must try to cure her first, before we investigate her dismissal."

"Besides, you know full well that she did what they claim she did." Remus said sadly.

"What?" Sirius said. He stood up and pointed a finger at Remus. "I know no such thing!"

Remus stood and faced him despondently. "You mean you didn't get her to copy the previous Miss Carver's Auror file and send it to you?"

Sirius sat down, and put his head in his hands. "They fired her for that?"

Pat looked at Sirius accusingly. "You read my file?"

"Now is not the time, remember?" Remus sat down and faced the couple. "She was fired, that is all we need to know now. She frequented a few Muggle bars, where she drank an overabundance of alcohol. This is apparently where the Death Eaters found her and put her under a curse. She has been here ever since." He groaned and stood up. Pacing around he room he continued his narrative. "They are all the hard facts we know. From then on it is pure speculation on the part on the Ministry. They think these Death Eaters took her to a meeting, where they tortured her, and placed the cage curse on her."

Pat took this entire information in. "What have the Aurors done in their investigation?"

"The bartender of the muggle bar has been interviewed, but the Aurors will not tell me anything else. I am only a civilian in this matter, and nothing must be revealed."

"Who is in charge of the investigation?"

"No-one will reveal that information. Not even to me." Albus said seriously, and stepped out of Remus' fireplace. He had been in the library when Harry had found him, and he had raced to Remus' home.

"Well that is something I can take care of." Pat said stubbornly.

"What did the doctors say? Cure-wise?" Sirius asked suddenly.

Remus looked at the floor. "There is no known cure for the cage curse."

"However we are trying to rectify that." Albus smoothly intervened. "I have many of my friends outside Hogwarts looking into the curse. Plus all of the Professors are searching into their specialised fields."

Sirius took the information in. "I want to see her now."

"I will show you to her room." Remus said and paced over to the staircase. Sirius, Pat and Albus followed.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

_"Sirius! They found you!" _Lunar cried out in relief as she saw Albus, Remus, Sirius and Pat enter her room.

"Can she hear me?" Sirius asked Remus.

"We don't know." Remus said, and approached the side of the bed, gently lifting Lunar's head and giving her a drink of water. "I like to think she does."

Sirius nodded, he sat down on the bed and grasped Lunar's hand in his. "Hear me and know this. I shall find a cure for you. And when I do I shall find the…. _Bastards_ that did this to you, and make them pay."

Remus looked at Sirius sharply, and Pat approached him, squeezing his shoulder tightly.

"We are doing all we can." Albus said quietly.

"We should let her rest." Remus said gently, and he rang a small bell. Fingers, his house-elf, appeared immediately. "Fingers shall show you to your room."

"Our room?" Pat asked. 

"Yes. She has prepared a room for you. It isn't far away." Remus said slowly. "No matter how long it takes for Lunar to recover she, and you, will always have a room here."

Sirius made to say something, but Pat silenced him. "That is most thoughtful of you. We will go and look at immediately."

"I must be getting back to Hogwarts." Albus added. "There is still a lot of research that I must do."

"As soon as I have moved my suitcases into the room I shall take Sirius and go to the ministry. We'll see if we can find any more information about her attackers. Then maybe we can find a cure from them. That is, if it is okay for us to leave Lunar in your care Remus."

Remus nodded. His eyes never leaving Lunar's face. "Of course."

They left the room silently. Leaving Remus and Lunar alone.

_"What happens now?" _Lunar asked to no avail.

Remus smoothed her hair around her head and gently smiled at her. "It will be alright. I promise everything will be alright."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"You don't understand the seriousness of this!" Roger said in a muted whisper. "I could lose my job!"

"We need help. _Lunar_ needs help. And you are the only one who will consider helping us!" Pat said, pleadingly.

She looked at Sirius' shadow through the frosted glass of Roger's office. He would warn them if anyone was coming. "Please Roger!"

Roger looked around worriedly. He then got a piece of paper and scribbled furiously on it. "I'm afraid I shall have to refuse." He passed her the piece of paper, which read:

Ministry is clamping down on Aurors. They are monitoring any files which may be copied. Bugging devices are everywhere. 

"Are you sure I can't convince you?" Pat asked, and wrote back.

_Meet me?_

"I'm sure." Roger said, nodding furiously. "On a more personal note, I would love to meet up with you at some point. I still haven't heard the whole story about yourself and Sirius."

"We are staying at Remus Lupin's home at the moment. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you came around at some point for dinner. Say tomorrow night?"

"I could do tomorrow night. You still haven't met my fiancé have you?"

"Bring her as well! We'll make it a double-date! Say around 8ish?"

"Better make it 9. I have some things to do before I come around. I'll bring a bottle. Red or White?"

_Will bring everything I can. Arrange for everyone you need to know to be there._

"White! And I'll see you then."

_Thank you for all of your help Roger. I owe you one._

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Albus groaned and looked up from the pile of books he had been studying for the past few hours. "Useless. Absolutely useless." He winced at the pain in his shoulders. He had been bent over the books too long.

A movement in one of the corners of the library caught his eye, but when he looked there he saw no one. "Come out Harry." He sighed. 

Harry appeared red-faced from underneath the invisible cloak. "You saw me?" He asked shamefacedly.

"No I guessed." Albus answered tiredly.

"Sorry. I couldn't sleep so I thought I would help you."

Albus nodded, and gave him a book. "Firenze thought the "Corybants" could help us. But I cannot find anything about them in any of these books."

Harry's forehead crumpled into a frown. ""Corybants". I've not heard of them."

Albus sighed. "Me neither."

"Are you sure he said "Corybants"?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Mmmm." He thought for a moment. "Maybe they're extinct?"

Albus looked at Harry for a moment. "Then they wouldn't be in any of the books." He mused. "But what would be the significance in finding them?"

"Maybe they had a cure, to the cage curse, and by looking up information about them we find the cure?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Worth a shot young Harry. It's definitely worth a shot." Albus said excitedly and disappeared into the shelves of the library.

He returned holding an open book in his hand and muttering as he read. A pile of books floated in the air behind him. "Grab a book Harry! We'll soon have the clue we need!"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Can we trust him?" Sirius asked Pat later as they were climbing into bed.

"We'll have to. He's the only one who will help us." Pat said reluctantly. "I can't believe that none of the people I knew as friends would help us!"

"After the way Lunar got made redundant, I don't blame them." Sirius muttered.

"That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about. My file." Pat rounded on him accusingly.

"I just wanted…" He sighed. "There's nothing I can say that will make you understand. It seemed like the right idea at the time. Forgive me?"

She smiled grudgingly. "There's nothing I can do about it now, is there. I do wish you had talked to me, rather than go behind my back."

He grinned for the first time since their return from Paris. "I was public enemy number one to you! I hardly think "Tell me about yourself." Was going to work!"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

It was the early hours of the morning, and the early risers had begun to stir. Hagrid had begun to feed some of his "pets", and Professor Sprout was watering her greenhouse when it happened. 

Harry's face was firmly wedged against a book, and as he breathed in and out the page on the opposite side ebbed and flowed to and from his face. He had spent most of the night reading through the books, and had fallen asleep reading a particularly boring piece of text on the ancient roman cults.

They had sorted through the pile of books through the night and now only two remained untouched. 

"Eureka!" Albus yelled, waking Harry from his dreams. He held up the book he had been reading.

"You've found them?" Harry slurred with the after effects of sleep.

"Yes. And I think there's something here that might help."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

It was later in the afternoon and Pat, Sirius, Albus, Minerva, Severus, Katrina, and Remus were all sat in Remus' lounge. Albus had contacted Remus in the night with the corybantic idea, and he had arranged a few odds and ends for the ritual.

"Roger will be arriving around 9ish." Pat said. "Which means we have a good few hours to try the cure Albus has found."

Remus sighed. "I cannot be here to meet the Auror."

"Why…?" Pat started to ask, but the look on Sirius' face stopped her. She would ask him in private later.

Albus outlined what the Centaurs had suggested to him. "And that's it. Remus and myself have been looking through the texts and we believe we have everything to perform the ritual."

"What are you suggesting?!?!" Severus' voice raise in disbelief as Albus stopped speaking.

"I know it's a wild chance. But it's a chance." Albus said calmly.

"No. No way." Severus protested, and ignored Katrina's warning look. "I am _not _dancing!"

A/N 

Yes, yes he does!!! But you'll have to wait for the next chapter for it!!!!!!

Thanks to everyone for reviewing!!!!

Iluvlegolas   I thought I had gone a bit overboard on that when reading back on that particular scene, but then I figure that's Sirius, completely oversexed!!!!

Moony Lover  Sorry, sometimes I forget to mention stuff that might be useful to you and other readers!!! This story is based after GoF, and kinda flashes back to when the marauders were at Hogwarts!!! Also I technically forget that people haven't read the other stories. Not that I mind!!! (Really) In my mind they run one after the other and stuff that I mention in one story is a direct quote or item from another story!!!! I'll try and cut down on that or at least mention it in an author's note!!

Annoriel  Thanks for the compliments. I ( .. and this is only my personal opinion so it has no importance at all!!) think that the other stories are better than OOTP. I like some of the new characters, especially some of the order. But It's not my favourite story in the world. Harry's character is becoming a bit whiny. Okay, I should stop complaining. 

Ingenious  Cool name btw!!! I sat by my computer staring at the screen for ages trying to think of a name and still couldn't come up with anything better than something people have been calling me since Junior School!!! I at last have come to terms with Sirius' death!! Even though there is no body… I don't think he'll be returning.

Panny Savage  Thanks for the compliments *blushes*. I went and read your bio, and I totally wanted to be an elf too!! Still do in fact… Ah well, I don't think its going to happen!!!

Anyway!! Better go. See you soon.

Krusty.


	7. Hungry Eyes

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Chapter 7 Hungry Eyes. 

_'What's happening now?' _Lunar thought as Remus, Severus, Katrina, Sirius, Pat, Albus and Minerva walked into her room. They were standing in one corner of the room, pointing at a book and then at the room, and muttering.

Finally Severus spoke louder than a whisper. "This had better work." He glared at Katrina. "Or else…"

"Right! Lets clear a space." Katrina interrupted Severus' warning and moved the chair out of the room.

Albus waved his wand and a deep thunderous beat started. 

"Not yet Albus!" Minerva said worriedly, and the beat stopped. "I don't know the steps yet!"

"Okay." Remus came back from moving the blanket box, and started talking to the group of teachers. "I've been reading and learning this all morning, ever since Albus contacted me…"

_'No wonder he looks tired!'_ Lunar thought.

"… I'll show you how it's done, and then you can follow me for a quick practice. We want to get this done right first time."

Remus stood in the middle of the floor and clicked his fingers a couple of times. "And a one and a two and a one two three fo..."  
"Wait!" Severus' voice cut through Remus' count down. "I want to know exactly why we're doing this again!"

_'So do I!'_ Thought Lunar.

Sirius rolled his eyes and turned to Albus. "Just humour him, explain it one more time. Maybe if you say it very slowly and in words of one syllable he would get it!"

Severus glared at Sirius, while Pat, Minerva and Katrina sat on the floor. They realised it was going to take a long time to persuade Severus to do this.

Albus began telling the story again. (This was the fourth time!)

"I went to see the centaurs in the forbidden forest. They suggested that to get rid of the curse I look up Corybants. So I looked in the library and got out this book. You know the rest." Dumbledore popped a lemon drop in his mouth and rolled it around his tongue. 

_'Corybants? What do they do?' _Lunar asked, and hoped that before they would "practise", they would explain it to her.

"Explain to me again why _I_ have to participate." 

Sirius groaned, sat down next to Pat and put his head in his hands. 

"The book says that we need three men and three women to dance, while one man chants."  
_'Dance!!!!'_ Lunar tried to stop herself from laughing, but then realised that they wouldn't know if they were laughing or not so let her amusement have free rein. _'This is something I have to see!'_

"Well, why can't I chant?" Severus _really _didn't want to dance. He was behaving like an unruly child and he knew it.

Katrina decided that enough was enough. She stood up and walked up to Severus. She whispered in his ear, stood back from him and raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner.

Severus glared at her for a moment, but then shrugged his shoulders and removed his outer robe in defeat. Sirius grinned at him, but it was quickly removed when Severus said harshly.

"Without me you would have ruined it."

"Right!" Remus interrupted before Sirius and Severus started fighting. "As I said before, I will show you how to do it, then you practice. Okay lets begin."

Albus started the booming beat. 

Remus walked to the centre of the room. Firstly he pushed his hands up an invisible wall in front of him while stamping his feet. He then started to wiggle his hips waving his arms around like a madman…

_'Oh my God!!!!' _The image of Remus doing this wild, unruly dance would lodge in her memory forever. _'Nothing can compare to this!' _ Remus dancing reminded her of one of her favourite muggle movies, Dirty Dancing. _'He would beat Patrick Swayze any day.'_

The thumping beat made her think of one of the songs from the film, and she mentally sung along to the beat (and Remus' gyrations).

_'Now I've got you in my sights,_

_With these Hungry Eyes,_

_One look at you _

_And I can't disguise,_

_I've got,_

_Hungry eyes._

_I feel the magic between you and I._

_I wanna hold you so hear me out,_

_I wanna show you what love's all about,_

_Darling tonight…'_

She was mesmerised by Remus, he put all of his energy into the fluid motions especially for her. She was in heaven. Or so she thought before the others began to practise.

Minerva, Katrina, and Pat just about managed to perform the dance correctly, but Sirius and Severus…

_'They have no sense of timing! As soon as they cure me I'm teasing them forever!' _Suddenly Lunar became sombre. The enormity of what she thought settled in her mind. 

_'That is if they cure me.'_

"Okay… Anyone want another practice?" Remus asked tactfully.

Everyone turned to look at Sirius and Severus, but neither of them would deflate their pride before the other one.

"No." Sirius said.

"Let's just get on with it." Severus said curtly.

Pat shrugged at Albus' inquiring gaze. "Alright then." Dumbledore rubbed his glasses with his robe, cleared his throat, and started to read the book. Chanting the words loudly.

The drumming beat started and Pat, Minerva, Cleopatra and Remus successfully completed the dance without hiccups. Sirius and Severus managed to keep up with the others, making surprisingly few mistakes.

Suddenly Albus shut the book with a bang. The dance and the drumming stopped. Everyone turned to look at Lunar.

"I hope this was worth it." Severus muttered, then winced as Katrina nudged him in the ribs.

Remus wasn't paying attention. He sat beside Lunar on the bed and murmured softly. "Lunar?"

_'Remus? Can you hear me?'_

He looked at her intently. Then turned to the others and shrugged sadly.

"Hasn't worked." He sighed.

_'Remus!' _Lunar sobbed.

"Back to the drawing board." Albus said unhappily.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

He had swivelled, he had grooved, he had even done a few pelvic thrusts, and all in vain! Remus leaned his head on his folded arms, which were resting upon the desk he was seated beside, and resisted to urge to howl in fury. He looked at the clock. It was only nearing eight; the Auror would be here in an hour. Looking out of the window he stared blindly at the sunset, and the full moon, which would soon appear in the distance, which encouraged him to give in to the temptation of being at one with the rage, and sighed. He would not be able to meet Roger.

He had taken the wolfsbane Severus had left, which enabled him to safely change without harming anyone. Gritting his teeth he rose from the chair and entered the kitchen calling for his house elf.

Fingers appeared as if from nowhere and twitched anxiously, her gaze switching from the window to her master. She had seen the wolf only once, but it was enough to scare her for life.

He sighed at her apprehensive expression and said calmly. "I am going out for tonight." He never mentioned his curse, and neither did she. "Look after Miss Black, and I will be back in the morning."

She nodded, and with a squawk hurried up towards the stairs. Only stopping when she reached the room he had put Lunar in and firmly shut the door.

Sirius bounded in through an open window, and looked cautiously around before changing into his human form. He looked at Remus, and frowned. "Shouldn't you be in the forest somewhere?"

"I couldn't…" Remus trailed off. He still couldn't reveal to Sirius that he loved Lunar, and letting him know that he had stayed until the last possible moment to make sure either Sirius or Pat were back to look after her would be a sure sign. "I had something to do, but I'm just leaving now."

Sirius twisted his face into a bleak smile. "Want some company?"

"No." Remus said swiftly and harshly. "Lunar needs you more than I do right now. You must be here to listen to the Auror. The more people that listen to the information the more information we gather." He added to soften the blow.

Sirius nodded, but still was frowning, but now was not the time to ask questions as Remus felt a wave of violent emotions wash over him.

"I've got to go. Now." He growled as he rushed from the room into the garden at the back of the house and from there into the forest beyond.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

The emotion-filled howling coming from the open window woke Lunar up. She was having a wonderful dream, reliving the Corybantic dance they had tried to cure her with. Severus' discomfort would have been her brother's dream, but in her dream he was nowhere to be seen. 

In fact there were only two people in the room. Herself and Remus. She had to admit, nothing about that dream would have pleased Sirius, but just thinking about it gave her a deep glow throughout her body. She sighed in pleasure, but was disturbed by the howling, which had begun again.

She was mesmerised by the call, it had echoes of intense sadness in it, but at the same time it seemed incredibly familiar. It reminded her of Remus, and her thoughts resonated with the emotion in the cry. She would never be able to tell the enigmatic man how much she felt for him. How she had treated and been treated by Sirius' friends as if they were older brothers to her younger sister, except with Remus. He had treated her differently, still protective, and teasingly, but… differently. 

Her eyes wandered to the open window, and she thought of tomorrow's adventure, the next thing that her friends would try in an attempt to cure her, and she hoped that this time it would work.

A/N

And here's the proof! And I quote from the encyclopaedia Britannica

"CORYBANT 

Any of the wild, half-demonic beings who were mythical attendants of the ancient Oriental and Greco-Roman deity the Great Mother of the Gods. They were often identified or confused with the Cretan Curetes (attendants of the Greek god Zeus) and were distinguished only by their Asiatic origin and by the more pronouncedly orgiastic nature of their rites. Accounts of the origin of the Corybantes vary, and their names and number differ from one authority to another. They apparently had a mystic cult, and a prominent feature of their ritual was a wild dance, which was claimed to have powers of healing mental disorder. It is possible that they originally were priests or medicine men of ancient times, later thought of as superhuman…" blah blah blah. And you thought you didn't learn anything from ff.net!! Here's a prime example of Greek mythology!!

I'm sorry; I couldn't resist getting "Dirty Dancing" in my story somewhere. Hungry Eyes comes from the movie Dirty Dancing (and so does Patrick Swayze), I don't own Patrick Swayze (not that I'd want him (not my type)), I don't own the movie (except on video), and I don't own the soundtrack (except on CD) (both of which I like to watch, listen to, sing along with, and in some scenes I can say all of the words. (Needless to say, I have a lot of time on my hands!!!)). (My sister suggested that Dumbledore should sing "Hungry Eyes", while Severus, Remus, and Sirius gave us our own private showing of the Corybant dance. They (unfortunately) refused. Something about a prior engagement, and washing their hair….)

Anyhew! 

Annoriel, If your reviews stop coming then I guess I should leave the country, cos prison is not a good place for ff inspiration!!!! I hope Severus' dancing lives up to your expectations!!!

Iluvlegolas, My fevered imagination has (somewhat unfortunantely, but only due to the fact that I have a dissertation to write and final year exams to study for) come up with 4 more Harry Potter stories. These are about a couple of the students when they grow up. (Not exactly difficult to guess who!!) After that, I really don't know what I'm going to do!!!!

Precious Girl. Thanks for the compliments!! Keep reading!

Ingenious. She isn't cured as yet, you'll just have to wait another couple of chapters! And my stories almost always have "nice fluffy" endings!! And I love them too!!!

And finally thanks to Panny Savage for the compliments.

Sorry to all for the long wait inbetween postings. 

Love Krusty.

xxx.

P.S. Please don't tease me about the whole Dirty Dancing thing... Esp. Martha, don't forget I know where you live!!

P.P.S. I have to go now, I'm going to watch the greatest movie ever made. 

The Matrix really kicks ass!


	8. Roger & Company

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Chapter 8 

****

**Roger…. & Company.**

"Oh Merlin!" Roger exclaimed as he sank into the pale yellow chair in Remus' living room. "I thought for a moment they had me!"

"What?" Pat asked sharply. "Did they know?"

"No. It's okay." He said, and opened his bag. "Here." He gave the bottle of white wine to Pat. Who noticed that there was nothing else in the bag.

"Uhhhh… Thanks. You did bring the information didn't you?"

The unexpected knock on the door made Roger jump, and he peered out of the window. "Oh, it's alright. It's my fiancé."

Sirius got up to let the girl in. "Sorry I'm late!" The red haired girl said brightly and shrugged off her coat. "Hi everyone!" She said gaily to the people in the living room. "I'm Meredith."

Pat frowned at her. "Don't I know you?"

Meredith squealed. "She remembers me! You hear that Roger?" She perched on Roger's lap. "An Auror like Miss Carver… whoops! I mean Mrs Black! Remembers me!"

"Yes Sweetie. Pat has an uncanny ability to remember things." Roger said proudly, gently hugging Meredith's waist.

Pat looked to the heavens for help. "So where do I know you from?"

"Oh!" Meredith stopped pinching Roger's cheek, and concentrated on Pat. "I work in the filing department at the ministry of magic. That's how I met my snuggle puss."

Severus turned green, and sipped his water gently, trying not to hit the offending "snuggle puss" and friend.

"I'm so glad that you turned to him in your time of need." Meredith said, quite seriously for once.

"So did you manage to get the information on Lunar's attack?"

"Ooohh!" Meredith squealed again. "I almost forgot that!" She dug around in her handbag and came up with a small folder. "I didn't get all the information. Just in case they tried searching me. But I got the important bits."

She opened the folder, and started to pass round the documents inside. "Firstly the Aurors searched Lunar's home, where they came up with nothing. The crime scene was dusted, but again nothing was found. Except a small echo of a previously used Floo gate. However when they tried to use it they couldn't open it."  
Pat scanned the results of the spells performed on the crime scene. As Meredith had said, nothing interesting except this echo.

Meredith continued her narrative. "Preliminary interviews were taken from the bartenders of the surrounding pubs when it was discovered that a high concentration of alcohol was in the victim's blood. One bartender recalled a girl like Lunar at his bar, but couldn't describe the people that had taken her. These were labelled the prime suspects in the case. The bartender was drained, and all the information…"

"Drained?" Sirius asked. "What's drained?"

"It's where a member of the muggle world is taken without their knowledge, and a kind of rememberall gathers all the knowledge they have." Roger explained.

"It's harmless. The muggle thinks it's all a dream, and the information is released to the Aurors on the case." Pat said hurriedly. "Please continue Meredith."

"Thanks. All the information is here." She passed around another document. "At present they have no leads, however as the victim was an Auror, and her brother is… well you." She said pointing at Sirius. "They think it's a Death Eater attack."

"They _think_???" Sirius asked incredulously, barely glancing at the documents being handed around.

"Yes. There have been other similar attacks recently. Six in total. Whoever is doing it is good at covering their tracks. This is the only case where any information has been gathered about them."

"Avery." Severus breathed.

"What?" Roger asked quickly. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Severus said bluntly, and looked into Roger's searching gaze blankly. "Would it be possible for us to keep hold of these?"

Roger looked at Meredith, who shrugged. "Sure. Just don't let anyone else see them. If anyone should find them…"

"We don't know you." Pat said reassuringly.

"Well, we should be going." Roger said reluctantly. "That is, unless there is anything you want to say to us?"

"No, no." Sirius said, and got the pair their coats.

"Thank you very much for this Roger, and Meredith." Pat added, gratefully. "We will, of course, inform you if we find anything."

Roger nodded. "As will we. Goodnight."

Severus waited until they had left before holding up the artist's rendition of the attackers. "This blonde one here bears more than a passing resemblance to Avery."

Katrina shuddered. "He also has a thing for punishing women as I recall." 

Severus put a hand on her knee and squeezed. "I still have a few contacts. I could…"

"No." Albus said forcefully. "If Avery has something to do with it then…"

"Voldemort is almost certainly involved." Severus ended his sentence. "The echo they were talking about happens when he calls a Death Eater to him. He has a way of opening and shutting passages to and from himself."

"They are unlikely to reveal any possible cure for Lunar's situation." Albus said quietly.

"Unlikely?" Severus sneered, and stood up. "They will not, no cannot reveal a cure. More that likely they will not even know of one!"

"We should still attempt to track them down." Sirius said vehemently.

"To fuel your desire for revenge?" Severus asked mockingly.

Sirius glared at Severus. "You keep your focus on possible potions and away from matters that don't include you."

Albus looked at the two men with sadness in his eyes. "There is only one thing that we should be focusing on, and that is the girl in the bed above us." He sighed. "I will return to Hogwarts, and back to the library. Perhaps if I looked up other cures for mental disorders and madness, then…"

"I will come with you. There are many potions books I have not yet studied." Severus said bitingly. He held out his arm, and Katrina accepted it.

"I shall be back. If ever there is any time you need someone, call on us." Minerva said, and stepped into the Floo network with the other three.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Did it work??? Did the dance work?" Harry asked the instant they returned from Remus'. He had waited patiently, sitting opposite the fireplace in the great hall, since Albus had left that morning.

"No." Severus said shortly, and stalked off towards his dungeons.

"Sorry Harry." Katrina smiled at the three uncertain people in the hall, and hurried off towards the dungeons after her husband.

"Back to the drawing board?" Harry asked Albus. 

"Yes. I'm afraid it is." He said, and they went in the direction of the library, preparing for another night of fruitless study.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N Sorry about the shortness of this chapter. I promise the next one will be longer. Thanks to Iluvlegolas, Moony Lover, and Annoriel for their reviews.


	9. Blood, Sweat and Dust

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

****

****

Chapter 9 

****

**Blood, Sweat, and Dust.**

****

Pat bit her lip as she passed the file to Remus. He had returned that morning covered in bruises and in a very bad temper, and demanded to see the information Roger had brought the night before.

"This is all they have so far?" He asked in a scornful tone.

Pat nodded. "They are doing all they can to help."

Snorting in disgust, Remus said. "They couldn't find a Wand in Olivanders!" He lifted up the artist's impression of the kidnapper, and paled. "Avery." He breathed.

Pat nodded. "Severus recognized him last night."

"Did he tell the Auror?" Remus asked, his eyes blazing anger.

"No. And I think he should have." She put her hand on his. "This is their job."

The anger in Remus' eyes turned to pleasure. "So they haven't identified him yet."

Pat shook her head.

"Good. I want to get to him first."

"Remus…" Pat started in concern, but he cut her off.

"How was her night? And has anyone come up with another plan?" He jutted his jaw stubbornly, and that was the end of the argument.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Remus was crouched in the abandoned house that had been used as a Death Eater hideout by Evaristus Devlin and, although it had been some time since they were last there, it still smelled of blood, sweat and dust. He stalked through the house, looking up at the full moon every time he passed a window, checking to see how much time he had left. It wasn't much.

As a werewolf he realised he had one gift that could help. His sense of smell.

He reached the overgrown back garden of the house and started to search the area. Going towards the wooden poles in the ground, he couldn't help but remember when Severus and Katrina were tied to them. When he had stood and battled beside his friends. Recalling how Avery had stood near Katrina longest, he bent his neck, and put his nose close to the floor. He picked up the smell of fear and realised this must have been left by Kat. Circling the area warily, he stopped for a moment when the overwhelming smell of fear-tinged excitement hit him. He trailed it back to the house and went towards the stairs. Severus had told him that Avery always had a room around the meeting place. Here the smell was stronger and the wolf howled in relish. It was only a matter of time before he found him.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

It had taken Remus most of the night, but he had made it back to his house before turning. Grateful to find that he was in the middle of the forest in one of the glades he loved most he sank back down to the ground and groaned. Then looked ruefully down at his unclothed state. 

"Why I can't remain dressed I have no idea." He grumbled raspingly, he found a bottle of water and a few items of clothing that he hid all over the forest and drank the water gratefully. The constant howling of the wolf often gave him a sore throat for days after the full moon. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, and winced in pain as he moved onto his side.   
"Thorns." He grumbled, and stood up. While plucking several thorns that had dug their way into his skin at some point in the night out of his side, he glanced over the rest of his body, checking for bruises or something more serious. Thanking his lucky stars that nothing had happened he got dressed and walked slowly back to his home, attentively listening for any signs of life to prevent any awkward questions from his far-off neighbours. 

Instead all he could hear was two very familiar voices talking.

"We can't rely on Remus' good manners any longer."

Remus stopped still when he heard his name being spoken. Sirius' voice was serious, which was unusual for the self-proclaimed "joker". Pat's quiet yet commanding voice answered.

"Are you sure it would be okay to move her? Maybe it would put stress upon Lunar if we were to move her at such a critical stage of her treatment."

Sirius snorted, and sarcastically retorted. "Treatment? You've seen her right? She's a shell, and nothing we've done so far has prevented that."

Remus could see them now, Sirius had dark bags under his eyes and stubble covered his chin as if he hadn't bothered to wash when he woke up this morning, that is if he went to sleep at all. This was probably the third night in a row that he had sat in Lunar's room in the rocking chair in the corner just watching her intently for some sign of life.

Pat moved closer to him and hugged him tightly.

"Don't blame yourself Sirius, and don't take out your anger towards the people who did this to her on anyone else. We're all a bit highly strung at the moment."  
"Exactly my point." Sirius kissed the top of his wife's head and looked into her eyes. "Remus must be as taut as a tightrope. He put Lunar's illness and her care on his shoulders, not to mention trying to find a cure and finding us. The least we can do is offer to take some of the burden off of his hands."

Remus tensed. _'Not Lunar.' _He thought savagely. _'Lunar is not going anywhere.'_

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Lunar attentively listened to the conversation Sirius and Pat were having outside of her window, and could have cried out in despair, but they wouldn't have heard her.

She had watched Remus caring for her for nearly two months now and she didn't want that to change. Not even for her brother. 

She hadn't gotten any closer to knowing Remus, even during the intimate moments when it had just been him and her. She had yearned to speak to him so many times, especially when he had tenderly washed then brushed her long hair. The house elf, Fingers had taken over that particular job as soon as Sirius had been brought to the house. 

Her thoughts moved away from the problem of her brother's wishes and drifted to the boy who had snatched her heart away, and the man who still held it.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Severus and Albus walked out of the fireplace and into a big fight.

"No way!" Remus said crossly. "There is no way that you are moving Lunar from here. She is in the most vital stage and could be severely scarred if you move her now." 

Sirius ignored his wife's pleading eyes and yelled. "She's my sister, and my responsibility. We cannot intrude on your life anymore."

"You aren't intruding. I like her being here." Remus muttered angrily.

"But she's my sister. I know you care for her like your own sister, but...."

The argument was stopped by Pat snorting loudly and Albus took that time to intervene.

"I think I might have something that may cure her."

"What…?" Remus asked in disbelief.

"One of my friends in Albania came up with this." Albus held up a small flower in a jar and a small vial of red liquid.

"A red buttercup?" Sirius asked incredulously. 

"No." Severus glared at Sirius. "It's a hellebore, a Christmas Rose. It's a relation of the buttercup, but is poisonous."

"You aren't giving that to my sister." Sirius said firmly. Pat gripped his arm and looked at him warningly.

"Not all of it is poisonous." Albus interrupted. "My friend discovered its healing powers. It could help. We have gotten rid of the poisonous aspect, what we have here is a diluted solution."

"It could help." Pat said gently to Sirius.

Remus nodded. "We should try everything."

Sirius jutted out his jaw and thought about it. He turned to Albus. "Are you sure that it won't harm her?"

Albus nodded. "I wouldn't give it to her if I thought it would."

Sirius thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay." He put his arms around Pat and hugged her close. "Let's give it to her."

A/N:

Thanks to Annoriel, Princess Story Writer, and Moony Lover for reviewing. Again soory for the shortness of the chapter, but chapters 8 and 9 were originally together, and I lost half of it!!! Luckily I always print a copy off, but I had no time to write it before posting the last chapter!! Normal service should resume next chapter!!!


	10. A Christmas Rose

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Chapter 10 

****

**A Christmas Rose**

_'What are they doing now?' _Lunar thought dejectedly. She had drunk the most disgusting stuff, and watched the stupidest spectacles of magic. None of it had worked.

She watched as Albus took a funnel out of his bag while Severus stood next to him holding a scarlet red potion in a container.

_'Not another one.' _

She looked at her brother and Pat. They were stood in one corner of the room holding hands and looking at her nervously.

The bed dipped beside her and Lunar saw Remus. He held her hand, and she felt the same shock that she did the first time he had held her hand.

Despairingly she tried to squeeze Remus' hand back, but the same helplessness overcame her as nothing happened.

She felt him tip her head gently back, and put the funnel in her mouth. 

"Are you sure?" She heard Albus say to Sirius.

"Okay. Carry on."

She felt the red mixture glug down her throat, if she could control her muscles she would have gagged at the sour taste.

_'If you are going to pour anymore stuff down my throat it had better be sweetened!'_ She thought angrily.

"Well? Has it worked?" Severus asked.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Remus glanced angrily at Severus, who shrugged and moved away from them.

"Lunar?" Sirius said gently.

Nothing. She didn't say anything.

Remus looked at her hand, where he was holding her. "Come on Lunar. Come back to me." He whispered tenderly.

Then it happened.

Remus frowned, and turned to look at the others in the room.

"Did you see that?" He said in awe.

"What?" Severus said sourly.

Remus turned back to Lunar. "She moved her finger."

Sirius rushed over to the other side of the bed, sat down and gripped her other hand. "Lunar?" He asked.

Then shook his head. "No. Maybe you imagined it."

Remus looked over to him. "I didn't."

He looked back at Lunar in desperation.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

_'Remus?' _Lunar gasped. She had felt her finger move slightly against Remus' hand.

She tried to move her finger again. _'Did that work? Did you feel that?' _She asked desperately.

Sirius turned to Remus and shrugged. "I haven't felt anything."

_'Come on! I did it! I'm sure I did it!'_

She saw Remus turn to her, a strange look of anguish in his eyes. "Please Lunar. I know you moved."

Lunar summoned up all the strength she had left and tried to move her hand.

Sirius gasped. "Her finger moved!"

_'Great!' _Lunar thought sarcastically. _'I used up every last bit of my energy, and my finger moved!?!" _Realising what she had thought, she mentally shook herself in disgust. _'I'm getting better and all I can do is complain!'_

Remus looked searchingly into her eyes for what seemed like minutes, and then nodded. 

Sirius watched him, a look of complete astonishment crossing his face.

"I was wrong, wasn't I? You don't want Lunar to stay here because you view her like a sister. You like her!" He said stunned, he shook his head. "No more than that. You love her!"

Remus sighed. He just kept looking at Lunar.

_'No he doesn't.'_ Lunar thought dejectedly.

Sirius kept on going. "How long? How long have you… you've known this since her sorting haven't you?" He grabbed Remus' arm and held it tightly. "Haven't you?"

Remus sighed mournfully. "Even if I did, it wouldn't matter. Look at her! She doesn't want a werew…" He glanced at Lunar. "A person like me."

Sirius dropped Remus' arm and looked at Lunar. "Is she the reason why you hardly dated at Hogwarts?"

Remus frowned at Sirius. "Drop it."

"Why…?"

"Drop it." This was more of a growl, and there was a dangerous glint in Remus' eyes.

"But…" Sirius protested.

"Sirius…!"  
"No! I will not drop it!" He looked at Pat, who came over to him and gripped his hand. Sirius sighed. "I have probably known since the sorting that you … had feelings for Lunar. Since then all I have been doing is "dropping it". I want to know. Do you love Lunar or not?"

Remus looked longingly into Lunar's eyes. "I think I have always loved Lunar."

Lunar gasped, and felt the gasp escaping her body.

"Lunar?" Sirius asked, while Remus retreated to a far corner of the room.

_'Remus!' _ She shouted, but to no avail. All that escaped her throat was a long strangled moan.

Albus approached her from the side that Remus had left. "Interesting." He muttered, and started to do a series of reaction tests.

Lunar found she was able to blink by herself easily. The other movements took a lot of time and effort.

"Where are you going Remus?" Pat asked the retreating figure.

Lunar waited impatiently, and mournfully for the reply.

"Out."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Remus' shoulders slumped as he walked along the path. He kicked aimlessly at a can that someone had dropped, and missed.

"Typical! I even miss a can." He muttered. 

He stopped walking and stood still, his head was tipped back on his shoulders and he looked at the dark clouds passing by. It was nearing sunset, and for once n his life Remus was glad of his affliction. 

"I could do with a bit of madness right now."

He breathed the air in deeply; a thunderstorm was coming. His wolf side told him that.

A woman smiled at him as she jogged past, but stopped suddenly when the dog at the end of her lead stood still and growled menacingly at him.

"I'm dreadfully sorry." She said, trying to get the dog to go with her. "She's usually good with people."

Remus nodded understandingly, and moved on. "Dogs don't like me." He said to the lady. It was one of the side effects of being a werewolf.

He couldn't stop torturing himself with the image of Lunar gasping when he had declared his love. She had obviously heard him, and couldn't bear the thought.

"Who would?" He cried at the sky. Huge droplets of rain started pelting him from the sky, but he didn't run. In fact he didn't move.

He just stood there, getting soaked to the bone, until Severus came along. He had cast a water-repelling spell on himself, so every drop of rain that hit him just bounced off. He looked strange, an incredibly dry person in the midst of a thunderstorm.

"You shouldn't be out here." Severus sneered, but nicely. "What would happen if you turned?"

Remus shrugged, but turned around and headed back towards his house and the forest near it.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

The wolf glanced at the bright lights of the muggle bar, and edged closer to the shadows. This was all he needed. He thought in frustration. A crowded bar full of muggles, and this is where the scent had stopped. 

He had changed in the forest and, putting his hurt feelings aside, he had concentrated on tracking Avery down. It would be a great pleasure when he eventually found him.

He prowled in the shadows and headed towards the rear of the building. And growled in anger as the scent picked up again. He hadn't stayed in the bar, only walked through the front door and out the back.

Looking at the moon he moaned in frustration. He hadn't much time left, and this was the last night he would be a werewolf for this month. Sniffing the air again, he decided not to waste time, and resumed the pursuit.

A/N

Hurrah!!! At last they've cured her! Having a few problems with writer's block at the moment, which is why my posting can be described as sporadic at best!!!! So thanks to every one who has continued reading the story, and bear with me!!!!

Thanks to Ingenious, Zelda-lotr and Annoriel for reviewing, and anyone else who reads my work! 


	11. Plans

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Chapter 11 

****

**Plans**

It still smelt like her. She had been gone for nearly a month now, but it still smelt like her. Remus looked around the room in which Lunar had lain, and sighed. He sat on the corner of the bed, and for the hundredth time let his imagination take him back to those days, when there were only two people in the world. Remus and Lunar.

"I miss her." He admitted to the empty room. But even though he missed her being in his house, he wouldn't make her go back under the curse for the entire world.

She was now living with Sirius and Pat, and he got regular updates on Lunar's condition through Severus and Katrina, but Sirius still wasn't speaking to him, so he hadn't visited them.

None of them knew about his night prowls. How, even when not in his wolf state, he resumed the search for Avery. Starting by questioning the owner of the bar, who sweated as he told Remus, he had never seen the man before in his life. He was close now, as the scent was getting stronger.

"This weekend." He told himself furiously. "I will find him then."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Lunar looked into the mirror at her reflection, and groaned. The bags under her eyes were still there, and she still hadn't put on the weight that she had lost during her illness. Every day for the past week a member of the Ministry of Magic had interrogated her, but they had still not caught Avery and the other attackers.

"Lunar? Are you okay?" Sirius shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

She clenched her fists and shouted back. "I'm fine!" She made a face at the mirror. "And if he asks me one more time I will scream."

"He just worries about you." Pat said smiling from the door. "We all do."

"I know." Lunar said restrainedly. "But I wish you wouldn't. It's driving me crazy. All you seem to do is smother me."

"Smother you? How?" Pat asked, and sat down on the chair in Lunar's bedroom.

"Come off it. Are you really suggesting that every time you and Sirius have to go out that it's a coincidence that someone just happens to "pop round"? It was funny in the beginning, but now it's just getting depressing that you feel you can't leave me alone!" She sighed, and calmed down. "I don't need a babysitter, Pat."

"Okay, okay. It is true that we feel safe with someone here to protect you. But we do trust you, and we do know you can take care of yourself."

"Prove it." Lunar muttered dejectedly, knowing full well it would be a while before they would.

Pat looked into her eyes searchingly. "We'll do a trial run."

"What?"

"I received a belated present from friends at the ministry the other day. It's two nights, all-inclusive, at a very exclusive hotel. With free access to the health spa, Jacuzzi and other features. They've shelled out quite a bit. Especially as it's the honeymoon suite. However we were going to leave it for a bit. Just until you got better."

"When is the earliest you could take it?"

"This weekend." She looked thoughtful. "It's Thursday now. We both have classes tomorrow. We could leave tomorrow night."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"This weekend? No, I'm afraid it's not possible for me to travel this weekend. The weekend after that is fine. Yes. Thank you. All right I shall see you then. Thank you again. Bye." Remus replaced the handset on the muggle telephone and avoided Severus' inquiring look. He was still on holiday from his teaching post at Hogwarts, due to reasons of stress, but only Albus knew that he was looking for a new job. One that would take him away from his best friends and possibly the only woman in the world who he ever loved.

He had had a few interviews in different corners of the globe, but none seemed far enough away, none seemed to be the punishment he was searching for.

"Would you like more tea?" Remus asked politely.

"As my charming husband is not going to ask, and as I'm a nosy cow. What was all that about Remus?" Katrina asked.

Remus considered lying, but knew better. "I have received an offer of a job in Alaska."

"They don't have enough Huskies? They need a werewolf to pull their little carts around?" Severus said smoothly.

"No. It's a research post."  
Katrina moved seats so she was sat next to Remus. "You're leaving Hogwarts? Why?"

"I think the answer to that is obvious." Severus interrupted. "The important question is not why, but when? Have you accepted the offer and when will you be leaving?"

Ignoring the look of fury that Katrina sent Severus, Remus continued. "I have stated that I am interested in the position, however due to my… condition I must look around the facilities first. Which is why I am going down there next weekend."

"Remus! You can't leave Hogwarts. Not after the fight that Albus put on to bring you back!" Katrina sent warning looks to her husband to join in.

"None of us should decide for him. Whatever he chooses will be up to him." Severus said blandly, and took Katrina's arm. He dragged her to her feet and pulled her towards the fireplace. "We should be going. I take it you won't be in the school this weekend. Due to the lycanthropy."

"No. Tonight, tomorrow and Saturday are full moon nights, so I will be coming in on Monday to tell Albus of my plans." Remus rubbed his forehead. "In the meantime you are the only people that know of my plans, so please keep them to yourselves for now."

Katrina nodded, and waved as Severus threw the Floo powder and bundled them back off to Hogwarts.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"What a poor man. He's so lonely isn't he?" Katrina turned to Severus.

Severus' mind was on other things however as he had just spotted Sirius in the hallway. He raised his voice so that it carried just enough. "It is a shame that we will have to find another DADA teacher so soon. We appear to go through them very quickly. Don't you think?" He was pleased with himself to see Sirius stop dead, and turn to listen to the conversation.

"And Alaska of all places. How far away can you get?" Katrina continued, oblivious to the eavesdropper.

"Quite. But then again I'm sure Remus has his reasons." Severus said smoothly.

Katrina gasped, and placed a hand over her mouth as she noticed a shadow moving away from the door. "Sirius just heard the entire conversation!"

"Did he?" Severus said blandly.

Katrina narrowed her eyes at Severus. "Sometimes you can be so slippery that I expect to see a trail of slime wherever you go." She smiled. "You really put on an appearance of not caring for them, but you do don't you?"

He frowned at her, and put on his first year Gryffindor intimidating voice. "Don't _ever_ say that again."

Katrina smiled. "I'm not scared of you Professor Snape. You can't take house points away from me!"

He gave a rare smile, which Katrina was privileged to see a lot. "True. But we do live in a dungeon. I am sure I could come up with some sort of punishment."

Katrina chuckled. "Why do I get the impression that I'm going to like this an awful lot?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I suppose it's because I am your husband."

They headed off towards the dungeons. "And I suppose I should feel honoured? Professor Snape." Katrina asked.

"Indeed. Professor Snape." The bland voice of Severus Snape answered.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Are you sure you will be alright on your own, Lunar?" Pat asked with concern etched in her face. "I'm still not sure you have had enough time to recover."

It was Friday night, and the Black family were stood beside the front door. Heavy luggage surrounded them.

Lunar smiled widely and breezily replied. "Of course I will be okay! It's only for two nights. I can take care of myself."

Sirius looked unconvinced. "I don't know." He thought for a moment. "We could always come home early."

"Come off it!" Lunar started to push them towards the door. "I interrupted your honeymoon, one weekend away from me won't do me any harm, and besides I need some time to myself. Think about it… a nice dinner, candlelight, Jacuzzi, champagne, each other. I don't want to be a third wheel!" Sirius started to protest, but Lunar handed them their coats abruptly. "You may not get a second chance. Especially as you've started teaching again!"

"If you're sure." He said, searching in Lunar's face for any sign that he should stay.

"GO!" Lunar almost yelled at him.

Pat grinned at this. "Come on Sirius. She'll be fine. She's probably got a long luxurious night planned with a bubble bath and a good movie."

As they left the buoyant façade on Lunar's face faded, and she took a long deep breath. Grabbing her wand for security she checked all the doors and windows were locked and turned on the lights in most of the rooms. Feeling slightly better, she went into the living room and settled on the sofa that faced the door and windows and curled up into a ball.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

It was the last night of Remus' affliction, and his shackles rose in anger.

He growled at the man who was stood in front of him. 

The man's eyes looked shiftily around him. "Nice dog. Good dog." He murmured unpleasantly.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

A shiver went down Lunar's spine and she shakily reached for the wand on the dresser beside her. A series of scratching noises were coming from the backdoor.

"It's just nothing." She repeated like a mantra to herself over and over again, but she couldn't stop her self from shaking as she got up from the sofa where she had spent the night. She crept through the house, towards the kitchen where the door was, and hoped that her teeth's chattering wasn't making too much noise.

"Who, who's there?" She asked nervously. "I'm armed!" She timidly warned.

Still the scratching continued. 

"I'm warning you! Go away!"

She looked at the still dark sky outside through the window, and wished fervently that Sirius or Pat would come home early. It was early on the Sunday morning and they were not due back for another few hours. 

"I'm not alone!" She said, but her voice broke in fear. "I'm calling the Ministry of Magic!"

A pain-filled whine came from the door, and she pulled back the kitchen curtains.

A tail wagged at her from the outside of the door.

"Just a dog." She screeched. "What's wrong boy?" She called from inside, while scanning the dog's surroundings to make sure he was alone. "Huh? What's wrong?"

Feeling adventurous, and wanting the scratching to finish, she opened the door a crack.

And saw the blood.

"Poor baby!" She crooned and opened the door fully. She stepped back in surprise. "You're a very big dog!"

It growled at her, but without a malicious or threatening tone.

Performing the "Wingardium Leviosa" spell she levitated the dog through the door and onto the kitchen table. She locked the door and turned her attention to the dog. It had salt and pepper specked hair, and in places huge gashes and stab marks in it's skin. It looked as if it had lost a lot of blood, and could barely move.

"What happened boy?" She soothed, and got several healing powders and lotions from one of the cupboards. "Did you get in a fight?"

The dog tried to move off of the table, but only succeeded in shuffling a bit.

"No." She crooned. "Don't move. This will sting a bit, but it won't hurt too much."

She started to rub a cleansing lotion into the worst of his wounds as the first light of morning hit her window. The dog whimpered in pain, and started to shudder.

Lunar took a couple of steps back from the table and dropped the bottle on the floor. It shattered, and scratched her bare feet, but she didn't realise. All she could do was to stare transfixed as the body of the dog shuddered and shook, the fur shrinking, and the dog's paws change into feet and hands.

Its face was the last thing to change, and Lunar's view was partly obscured by its arms.

Finally the shuddering stopped and the wounds opened afresh. The now man groaned and looked around him, his eyes finally coming to a rest at the shocked Lunar stood in horror. 

"Help me Lunar." Remus said, and fainted.

A/N

The story is continuing!!! Hoorah!!!

Okay. I'm now in my third year at uni, so this is officially DISSERTATION year!! So I may not be posting as quickly as I would like to. I REALLY appreciate those who have stuck by me and continued to check to see if I've posted. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am persevering in my stories, as they give me a break from everything!!! (However I think I'm getting square eyes from sitting at a computer for so long!!!) Please continue to bear with me and I shall try to post again next week!

To Ingenious, sorry but as far as I'm aware there will not be any more flashbacks in this story. If you would like me to do something extra concerning the school years or something then either e-mail me or write it in a review, but it may not be done quite as fast as the others!! 

To Annoriel, Thank you for always having kind words to say about my stories. Even in the deepest pit of writers block they always inspire me to do more!! (So I'm sorry for any spelling and grammar mistakes!) And if you don't want to wait too long then you can always e-mail me and tell me to hurry up!!!

Btw. The next chapter's a doozy. (That's slang for really good for anyone that doesn't… well for everyone really!!!) Bear with me.

Thanks again

Krusty.

xxx.


	12. Vice Versa

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Chapter 12 Vice Versa 

Lunar stepped out of the Floo network and into Remus' house, following her was Remus, still under the "Wingardium Leviosa" spell and covered in a sheet and some bags full of luggage. She dumped the luggage on the floor just as Fingers came scuttling out of the kitchen.

"Master?" She said worriedly.

"I need some soup, and maybe some tea…. Does Remus like tea?" She shook her head in disgust. "Sorry. Could you get them for me and then, ummm, take the rest of the day off?"

Fingers looked at her in disgust, but obeyed.

Levitating Remus upstairs, Lunar looked through the rooms before she discovered what she hoped was Remus'. She rested him gently on the bed, and went to his wardrobe. Sirius and Remus may look alike in stature, when it comes to clothes they were two different to swap, as Lunar discovered when trying to cover Remus up for the journey.

A number of similar crumpled suits and shirts confronted her, and she searched through his drawers for a pair of loose fitting pyjama bottoms. An unopened dust covered plastic packet seemed to contain the only pair of pyjama's he had, so she wrinkled her nose and opened it. They were a novelty pair, obviously given to Remus as a Christmas gift, but never used.

On the front of the red top there was a motto written in black. "Professors do it in libraries." Sirius' sense of humour.

She left the sheet on Remus and pulled the black bottoms on him, while trying to ignore the tanned toned muscle he hid underneath the plaid suits. Then she looked at the wounds again. There were many of them all over his torso, but the lotion she had used on them in Sirius' house seemed to stop the flow of blood.

His face looked haggard. Much the same as it had looked throughout her stay when he was tending to her. She brushed a lock of hair off of his forehead, and he groaned in his sleep, but did not wake.

Going down the stairs she passed the angry house elf and smiled. "Thank you for the soup. You will not be needed for the rest of the week, so Remus asks that you go to Hogwarts and see if the house elves their need you expertise."

Fingers blushed at this, right to the tips of her ears and said. "Course, mistress. Fingers is good at her job." 

Lunar nodded and smiled as the house elf went through the Floo network to Hogwarts.

The clock in the living room said 10:30 and Lunar was glad her brother had one of those telephone thingies. Picking up the receiver she dialled the number and left a short message on his answer phone.

"Sirius, Pat, its Lunar. I'm fine. A friend invited me to stay for a few days, and she doesn't have a, a, telephone. I'll phone you on the… callbox every night to convince you I'm fine, I may be away for some time though, so don't worry. Ummm. Bye!"

Replacing the receiver she hurried back up the stairs to Remus' room.

He still wasn't awake so she went into the room opposite his. The one she had stayed in during her illness. As she unpacked the few clothes she had rammed into her overnight bag she looked around the room and realised that she felt safe. The pale pink walls and   deep rose colour of the bedclothes had nothing to do with it. It was the thought of Remus next door and the absolute care and attention he had given her that made the nightmares and the constant panic attack she felt after being attacked go away. She smiled. 

"Maybe I have always loved him." She murmured. Then stopped still as she realised what she had said. A satisfied grin spread across her face. "As soon as Remus gets better, He's not going to know what's hit him!"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

The pain was almost unbearable. This was Remus' first though as he drifted into consciousness. The second thought that hit him was that he was at his home. Even though the heavy curtains were drawn, so that the room was almost blackened out he could still see faint shapes.

The last thing he remembered was the man leaving him for dead somewhere in the forest as he lost the fight.

He groaned loudly, and tried to speak, but his mouth was bone dry. "Fingers! I need water!" he hoarsely groaned.

A movement out of the corner of his eye told him that she had sat in his room watching him sleep, and was now going to get him something to drink. He groaned again, rolled onto his front and buried his head into the pillow.

"Shut the guest room door as well." He muttered as the intoxicating scent of Lunar filled the room and his head.

The soft clatter of glass against glass told him that Fingers had returned and was pouring him some water.

"Thank you." He muttered, and reached out for the glass.

"Your welcome Remus. And I brought you some aspirin as well, for the pain." The gentle voice said.

"Hallucinations. I'm now so mad I'm having hallucinations." He muttered. 

"Hallucinations? What do you mean Remus? What's wrong?"

Trying not to move too much he sipped at the water gently, it cooled his throat. He coughed slightly, sending his body through more pain. 

"Remus?" The voice persisted.

"Oh, Fingers. I don't know what I'm doing. I dream of her. I sit in the empty room and think of her. Her every move fills my mind. And now, when I am at my worst, you sound and smell just like her."

"Like who?" The voice asked.

"Stop traumatising me like this. You know full well who you sound like. You sound like her, like Lunar."

"Would you like me to draw the curtains?" The now contented voice asked. "It is around 3 o'clock on a wonderfully sunny day outside."

Remus moved his arm in a 'do what you like' gesture.

The scent followed Fingers as he headed towards the curtains, and pulled them apart.

"I don't think you are mad Remus. And I certainly am not trying to traumatise you. So tell me this…" She said as the bright sunlight hit Remus' bruised eyes and blinded him.

"… How exactly am I meant to stop sounding and smelling like Lunar?"

The bed sank beside him, and two warm hands moved Remus' head towards their owner.

"When I am Lunar?"

The sunlight hit her hair and it shone like a halo around her head, and she smiled down on him.

"Lunar?" He asked incredulously.

"No, this isn't a hallucination! Or a dream for that matter!" Her face took on a serious face. "If it was then you wouldn't be hurt, and you wouldn't feel the pain."

"How did you get here?" He asked.

"By Floo. Now, turn back onto your front." She ordered, and moved away from the bed to the cabinet, where she had put some ointment bottles.

Remus turned onto his front and groaned in pain again. "I didn't mean it that way. I meant how did you know I was hurt?"

"You don't remember?" She asked and walked to the bed with a blue bottle in her hand.

Flashes went through his mind. "I was at Sirius' house?"

"Yes. You were." She said and placed the bottle on his bedside table.

"How did I get there?" He murmured.

Lunar took hold of the bed sheets and started to draw them off of him. "I think you crawled."

He grasped hold of a sheet. "Wait I don't wear…" he trailed off.

"That explains it." Lunar felt a flush envelop her cheeks. "I was wondering why the novelty pair of pyjamas were the only ones I found."

He felt the last sheet skim past his feet, and heard her sharp intake of breath. 

"Your wounds are really bad, Remus. What happened?" She asked, and rubbed ointment into her palms.

"I can't tell you." Remus answered. To tell her was to tell her of his discovery.

She nodded. "Tell me when you are ready." She said. "Now, this may sting a bit when I put it on you first, but it will help the healing process and take away some of the pain. Okay?"

He gritted his teeth. "Go ahead."

She gently rubbed some of the cream into his wounds at the sides of his body, but all he did was gasp quietly at points. The feel of her hands on his body was all the distraction from the pain that he needed.

Lunar rubbed her hands on a towel on the bedside table. "Finished." She said, mortified that her voice cracked. She coughed to cover it up, and rose from the bed. "You must be hungry. I'll nip downstairs and heat up some soup."

"Lunar." Remus growled, not moving an inch. "I think that Sirius or someone else should do that from now on."

She turned form the door. "Ummm… Why?"

"Because, then…" He stopped and considered his words carefully. "…Then _other_ reactions won't occur."

She blushed pink, more out of pleasure than anything else. "Sirius isn't here. No one else is. In fact, no one knows I'm here." She left, and went downstairs.

"No one…? Wait Lunar!" He yelled at the retreating figure of Lunar. "Damn." He muttered. He shut his eyes. "Cold shower." He muttered to himself as he attempted to control his emotions.

A/N 

Thanks to everyone who read my story so far.

Iluvlegolas. Sirius finds out next chapter, and as usual it is not as expected!

Thanks Annoriel. Keep reading!

Ingenious. I'll try and do some flashbacks!!!

Anyhew, better go and write some more.

Krusty

Xxx.


	13. Awakenings

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Chapter 13 

****

**Awakenings**

****

"Lunar!" Sirius yelled as he struggled in through the front door. "We're home! Hello!"

He frowned when she didn't answer, dropped the bags and raced upstairs.

"Sirius? What's wrong?" Pat asked. "Sirius?"

"Where's Lunar?" Sirius asked as he ran back down stairs.

"She's not here?" Pat asked in astonishment. 

Sirius went to the kitchen to check if she was in the garden as Pat went to the phone.

1 new message.

She listened to Lunar speaking and relaxed. "Sirius! Come here!"

"What?" Sirius asked distractedly as scores of deadly situations that Lunar could be in raced through his head.

"Listen." She replayed the message, and Sirius listened for signs that she was being forced to say what she was saying.

"She's fine." Pat wrapped her arms around him. "Listen to her. Nothing's wrong!"

Sirius jutted his chin out, picked up the phone and dialled 1471. He listened to the operator's metallic voice repeating the last number that called, and he flushed red with rage. "Remus." He breathed. "The phone she used to call us Remus'."

Pat backed off from Sirius and looked wary. "Whatever you are thinking Sirius, I don't like it. What are you intending on doing?"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"I've brought you some soup, Remus." Lunar whispered as she entered the bedroom. "Are you hungry?"

Remus didn't answer. 

"Remus?" She edged nearer the bed. And smiled when she realised that he was asleep. She put the soup on the cabinet, and drew the curtains so that only a crack of the bright sunlight filtered through. Smiling, she drew the bed sheets up to his chest and brushed a lock of hair from his eye.

"Sleep well my love." She murmured, and then remembering what he had done once when she had been ill, she took her shoes off and curled up on the bed next to him. "Sleep well."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"What do you think you're doing Sirius?" Pat said quietly as he made his way purposefully from the fireplace through Remus' house.

"Shhh." Sirius hushed her.

He looked through the rooms downstairs and, when he didn't find Lunar, he headed upstairs.

"No. Sirius!" Pat warned, and followed him. "Stop it now!"

Sirius stood still at the top of the stairs, his face was pale and he couldn't move.   
"What's wrong Sirius?" Pat asked, and then looked around him into the darkened room. She saw what he saw, what made him so shocked.

Remus was lying on his side, and several deep scars were on his upper torso and arms. Lunar lay facing him, her lips touching his chin. Her arm was thrown carelessly around his waist. One of his hands was cupping her face, his thumb resting against her forehead, intermittently stroking it and his fingers intertwined in her hair. His other arm was underneath her waist, holding her to him. She shifted in her sleep and her face looked towards Sirius. She was smiling contentedly.

Sirius blinked slowly, and looked at Pat. "She loves him."

Pat smiled. "Yes. She does."

He frowned. "And he loves her."

"It does take a while for thought to get through to your brain doesn't it?" Pat whispered, dragging him down the stairs towards the fireplace. 

"That was the first time I've seen her smile, I mean _really _smile, since our wedding." Sirius said; he looked towards the stairs to the sleeping couple. "They belong together." He smiled. "I'm going to make sure they end up together." 

Pat rolled her eyes in disbelief and threw Floo powder into the fireplace.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

There was something warm next to him in the bed. Remus thought as he woke up, and he didn't open his eyes for a moment just in case it was a dream. She was curled up next to him, a satisfied smile on her sleeping face. She was still wearing the clothes from yesterday, that were now crumpled and warm with sleep. He shifted in his bed to get a better view of her, and his back twinged with pain. It wasn't as bad yesterday though. She stirred in her sleep, moaned softly and moved closer to his body. His eyes went dark and he gently traced the outline of her cheeks, eyes and lips with his finger.

She smiled. "Have you finished your inspection?" She asked dryly, and opened her sleepy eyes.

She stretched her arms up, and curved her back. For a second it fitted into his body perfectly, and then she was gone again.

"You shouldn't have stayed with me Lunar." He chided gently, combing through her blonde hair with his fingers.

She slightly pouted. "Why not?" 

"It can give a girl a bad reputation." He gently stroked her lower lip with his thumb.

She smiled and looked into his eyes. "And I suppose that you climbing into bed with me didn't?"

He stopped still. "What do you mean?"

"It's called the cage curse for a very good reason Remus. You are caged inside your body, still being able to see, hear and feel everything around you, but with no way of contacting the outside world." She chuckled. "Even if a hugely attractive young man climbs into bed with you, and you are desperately trying to."

He looked at her, shock evident on his face. "You knew?"

She batted his head gently. "Of course. I was there wasn't I? What you didn't know is that I wanted that to happen ever since I met you, all those years ago. What I would have given…." She trailed off, and her face went pink with embarrassment.

"You wanted me to get into your bed when I first met you?" Remus asked softly.

She averted her gaze in the pretence that she was looking around the room. 

It had red walls and a pale wooden floor, the wardrobe was a walk in one, and the door was adjacent to a deep blue en suite. The only furniture in the room was a large four-poster bed in a slightly deeper shade of wood than the floor made up with red bedclothes with an Indian style gold pattern on them, a cabinet on the far side of the room where the now cold soup was, a bedside table, and a trunk at the bottom of the bed. 

"This must have taken a lot of work." She gestured lamely to the room. 

"You haven't answered the question." He said gruffly.

"The whole house looks completely finished. When did you move in?" She only met his eyes a moment, but the sardonic look was in them.

He sighed and gave in. "Not that long ago. A year maybe."

"Oh." She still avoided looking at him. "When was the house-warming party?"

He shifted his weight on the bed. "I haven't had one."

"Oh…" She sounded surprised for a moment, and then looked back at him grimacing. "I forgot that you don't like people."

"I don't like a room of people." He lifted her chin and looked her deep in the eye. "People on their own I can handle."

She became flustered, and try as she might rational thoughts wouldn't come. "Umm… I suppose I should go and get you some breakfast. You should be hungry, not having eaten in a while."

He pinned her body to the bed with his arm and growled. "Soon you will come to realise just how much of an appetite I have." Kissing her slightly parted lips he smiled victoriously, then he lifted his arm from her body, but she was frozen in position. 

"Unfortunately I am still a gentleman, and in a great deal of pain." He lied convincingly, wincing as he moved away from her. 

"Painkillers!" She awoke from her trance and shrieked. "I should get you some. And some food. And I should get washed. And phone Sirius." She kept mumbling as she left the room.

"Lunar." Remus called to her.

She timidly poked her head around the door. "Uh huh?"

"I already have painkillers, and I'm alright for food. You get washed and dressed, and then we'll decide what to do. Okay?" He asked.

She smiled, and left him to it. Seconds later he heard the shower in the bathroom in the hall working. "Damn you." He muttered to his traitorous imagination, and curbing the desire to join her, and show her how _good_ a shower could really be, he went into his en-suite and ran his own shower. On cold. Very cold.

A/N

Thanks to everyone who reads this story. I hope it continues to enchant you!!

Annoriel, Yes indeed, the words cold shower will be mentioned quite a few times in the upcoming chapters!!! I hope Sirius' reaction is not quite what you hoped for, but something you will enjoy!!!!

Ingenious, Thanks for reviewing. I too just want to see Lupin happy, and probably the same situation would happen with Tonks (isn't she a relation of Sirius'? (I'll ask my sister, she'll know!!)) Tonks is one of my favourite new characters in OOTP!!!!

To both of you, Keep reading and writing those reviews.

See you later!!

Krusty.

Xxx

(Oh, yeah, I suppose I should mention that Awakenings is the name of a film with Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro in. I didn't intend on nicking it, but it just kinda fit.)


	14. Revealed

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Chapter 14 

**Revealed**

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"Sirius?" Lunar perched a bowl of eggs on her waist and whisked, at the same time the telephone was in the crook of her neck. "Oh hi. Yeah it's only me."

Remus watched her unnoticed from the kitchen doorway. She had placed her freshly washed hair in a careless bun, and wisps were escaping and framing her face; she hadn't put on any make up and had hurriedly put on her casual jeans with frayed hems and the small rip at the knee with a faded once yellow now almost white, short sleeved tight t-shirt. He smiled, in just one day she seemed at peace, and acted as if his home belonged to her.

She swapped shoulders for the phone and stopped whisking for a moment to turn over the frying sausages and bacon. "Yeah…. The person I'm staying with?…. Ummm no you don't know… him…… Yes it's a him…… No…... No.….. This isn't like you Sirius. Why are you acting so suspiciously?…… You're not? Yeah right……" 

She caught a glimpse of Remus leaning against the doorway a satisfied smirk on his face. 

"I gotta go…… No! I've told you before. I don't know when I'll be back! Bye! Love you too!" 

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Sirius hung up the phone and looked at his wife, the Cheshire cat smile on his face making evident his self-satisfaction.

""Stay as long as you want?"" She enquired dryly. ""We will be expecting good news when you return?" "I trust your judgement?" Come off it Sirius, you couldn't have been more subtle if you tried!"

But her withering comments just bounced off Sirius' back, and he left the room, plotting more schemes and whistling "Here Comes The Bride."

Pat rolled her eyes and said to no one in particular. "And the common consensus is that women are terrible romantics. We should have a plaque put on the front of the house. "Sirius Black, Matchmaker extraordinaire." Or matchmaker un_subtle_aire."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Lunar hung up the phone and turned to Remus. "You shouldn't be up!" She scolded. "What about your back?"

"It's getting better." Remus protested, and a huge grin spread over his face. "Nothing a few days of tender loving care won't fix."

Lunar smiled sweetly. "And I know just the person to do it." She said and put the whisked eggs in a microwave on a corner unit of the kitchen. When she turned around Remus was stood right behind her trapping her in the corner. His eyes were transfixed on her.

"Do you?" He breathed suggestively.

Lunar ran a finger down the side of his face evocatively. "Of course I do." She leaned into his body and waited until her lips were nearly touching his before whispering. "I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will come over and tend to your needs."

He growled. "My…." He quirked an eyebrow suggestively and looked down. "… _needs_ require more specialised attention." He leaned his body in closer so that they touched each other. "And I've already got someone in mind for that job."

Lunar breathed deeply, her eyes dilated and she shivered. 

"I see you have the idea." Remus breathed, and his head swooped down to capture her lips in a kiss.

Breathtaking was not the word for it. In fact at that moment in time there were no words, only actions as Remus' arms encircled her waist and lifted her so she sat on the counter. He ferociously kissed her neck, his not yet shaved face burning her, causing both pain and pleasure at the friction at the same time. Her hands explored the tightness of his body, the body she had been mesmerised and had memorized so much of when he had transformed. 

"Remus!" She moaned slowly. "Remus."

He growled and his lips possessed her again.

"Oh god!" She managed to breathe when he left her lips again. "I smell burning." Realisation dawned in her befuddled eyes. "The food! Remus, the food is burning!"

"Huh?" He slurred, and turned towards the cooker.

She jumped down off of the side, put on the oven-gloves and grabbed the smoking pan, which she took outside the back door and left on a discarded pile of bricks. Turning off the oven she turned to him. "That was close!" 

"Very close." He agreed ruefully.

She looked into his eyes and saw the desire still there, and backed off. "Ummm Remus…"

He drew her close to him and put a finger on her lips. "I'm not going to apologize for what we just did, and I won't let you either."

Lunar looked at Remus straight in the eye. "I want you, Remus. There's no denying that. It's just… You're still unwell." She finished painfully, looking towards the floor when the obvious lie came out.

Remus' eyes turned a darker colour, and he said in frustration. "You were going to say something else, but you changed your mind. You did this yesterday, when you were talking about your feelings for me. What's wrong?"

Lunar's shoulders slumped, and she said desperately. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Remus quirked an eyebrow. "In bed is exactly where I want to be right now, and I've never felt better – health wise. Just tell me what you were going to say."

Lunar gulped for breath. "I need to sit down."

She went into the living room, and Remus followed her every move, waiting until she had sat down before choosing the seat next to her. "Tell me."

She rolled her eyes to the heavens for support. "Remus, I have… had a crush on you since we were at Hogwarts, you should know that by now, considering my actions… And I feel like my feelings have changed, developed. I could quite happily stay with you forever." Remus' face brightened when she said this, but he reacted too soon and his feelings slumped again when she said the words. "But I don't intend on pursuing this relationship if you continue to keep secrets from me."

He coughed nervously. "Secrets?" He asked roughly.

Her face fell and her eyes filled with tears. "Yes Remus, Secrets. Things you don't trust me enough to know. Like, what exactly happened to you the night you came to Sirius' house? What harmed you?" She paused and stood up, brushing his shoulder lightly with her hand. "I should go."

He watched her with dead eyes, knowing that if he told her his secret she would no longer be his. "Don't go." He pleaded.

She turned to face him from the first step up to her room. "You told me you loved me, Remus. You told everyone that you loved me. But it seems as if you don't love me enough." She gave a faint smile, and continued to slowly, dejectedly walk up the stairs.

"Tonight." He called out to the retreating figure. "Give me until tonight. Then I will tell you… and the others."

But she didn't reply.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Sirius stood by the fireplace at his home making shocked faces to a mirror. Pat rolled her eyes at him. "What exactly _are_ you doing?" She asked incredulously.

"Remus did say that what he had to say tonight was important." He said stopping momentarily to grin at his wife. "And I think it's to do with his relationship with Lunar. I'm practising shocked faces – remember, they don't realise that we know about them. Can you imagine it? Remus, my brother."

Pat smiled. "You really want to look shocked when you walk into the room?" She asked calculatingly.

She whispered into his ear and disappeared into the fireplace.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Sirius appeared as white as a sheet when he eventually arrived at the house, and didn't seem to notice that he was the last one there. His mouth was wide open and he stared at Pat in disbelief. "You're pregnant? How did that happen?" He asked in amazement. 

Lunar laughed and hugged Pat ferociously. She then turned to Sirius, with a faux serious expression on her face. "I'm sure Pat will give you the "Birds and Bees" talk when you get home!"

Severus rolled his eyes in disgust and muttered. "That's all we need. The spawn of Sirius Black, and I suppose I'll have to teach them potions."

Remus stayed sitting in the armchair where he was when they arrived, and gave Sirius a small forced smile. "Congratulations." He said, and winced at the cracks in his voice.

Pat gave Remus a swift look of concern and immediately turned her attentions to him. "Why did you bring us all here, Remus?"

"I..." He coughed to disguise the fact that his voice broke and continued. "I suppose it's about time I told you all what I was doing… after Lunar left." He paused and took a sip of water, discomfited at the sudden amount of attention that was on him. "Lunar, you may want to sit down for this." He waited until she was comfortable, and continued slowly. "While you were all looking after Lunar, I was in the process of tracking down Avery." 

Lunar stiffened in shock, and turned a pale white. "You did what?" She asked carefully.

"I eventually managed to track him down to a muggle bar, where I confronted him…" He was savagely interrupted by Lunar.

"You _confronted _him? What do you think you are? Superhuman? They aren't called the Death Eaters for nothing. You could have died! He could have used one of the unmentionables! What are you stupid?" She ranted, unaware of the speculation of the other guests, only thinking of the danger Remus had put himself in. "You may be a bloody werewo…" She stopped at the look of shock on Remus' face.

"What did you say?" He asked suspiciously, and looked at Sirius with hurt in his eyes. "You told her." He said accusingly.

Lunar gave a small mew of refusal. "Sirius didn't tell me. I didn't know until a few days ago.

Sirius frowned. "Then how…?" He trailed off in confusion.

"You really don't remember how you got to Sirius' house that night do you?" Lunar asked in concern.

The blank look on Remus' face was quickly followed by one of utmost agony. "You mean..."

"You changed in front of me." Lunar quietly confirmed Remus' worst fears, and he winced.

"I didn't harm you…" He strode across the room to her and pushed up her sleeves, searching them. "You've not got any scratches, or bites?" he asked hurriedly. At the shake of Lunar's head to motion no, Remus' troubled mind calmed, and he retreated back to the chair in the corner. "You must never come near me again." He said matter-of-factly.

Lunar became outraged. "You trail around after Avery, and then presume to have the authority over whom I see or do not see? I refuse. I intend to keep seeing you." She said stubbornly.

Sirius, who had been feeling ignored, and rather like a spectator at Wimbledon watching the ball flying back and forth between two people, turned to Pat and said. "I should remember that the next time I piss you off. Forbidding you from seeing me. Not the most used option in courting."

"Shut up." Pat said curtly, which took the smile off of Sirius' face, transferring it to Severus'. "We can leave the personal stuff out of this for a moment. What happened when you found Avery?"

"He won." Remus said bitingly. "But I know where he is."

Pat stepped towards the fireplace and threw Floo powder into it. "Good, then you can tell the experts. Auror Headquarters."

"Wait." Albus said in his most commanding tone. He had been silent up until this point, and the other people in the room turned to him in respect. "I have one more thing to talk to Remus about." He motioned to the study, Remus assented, and they walked into it, and shut the door.

A/N

Thanks to Ingenious for reviewing!!! (I'm also often exclamation mark happy, so don't worry about it!!!!)


	15. Telling Stories and Playing Games

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books****

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**Chapter 15.**

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**Telling Stories and Playing Games**

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"I was led to understand that you might be coming in to see me today." Albus shut the door on the prying eyes of the rest of the group and turned to Remus, his usually jolly eyes reflecting sadness.

"Was I?" Remus asked in confusion, then comprehension dawned. "Oh yes, of course. The job offer." He coughed. "Sorry, with all of the recent events, I forgot all about that." Remus glanced towards the door distractedly, and he seemed to lower his voice as he added. "I take it you wormed the details out of Severus?"

Albus laughed. "No, Severus was a lost cause. Katrina though was very happy to help me." He paused. "Why Alaska Remus? Why so far away?"

"I decided that I wanted a change." Remus said neutrally and shrugged.

"Have you accepted the job offer yet?" Albus asked kindly.

Again Remus glanced at the door and replied hurriedly. "I have yet to decide, there are some things that I have to work through first."

Albus nodded. "Please tell me if anything changes."

.....

"I wonder what they're talking about." Sirius reflected as the door of the study shut. He picked up a biscuit off of the plate and bit a chunk off, then gagged. "What _are _these biscuits made of?" He asked nobody in particular.

Lunar sat in a chair, uncomfortably aware that all eyes had swung towards her as the door shut. In a desperate bid to get rid of the attention she started clearing away the table and asked in a falsely bright manner. "Anyone for tea? Or coffee?" Having taken down mental notes at their orders she went towards the kitchen, but paused outside the study and put a hand to her mouth as she heard the words "Job offer." Shuffling, as quietly as she could towards the door, she placed her ear millimetres away from the hard wood and listened intently. She gasped at the word "Alaska" being mentioned, and her heart broke at the deliberate evasiveness of Remus' voice. She moved her head closer to the door, and realised that they had stopped talking. Footsteps headed towards her.

Lunar became conscious of the fact that at any moment Albus and Remus would leave the room, and that she would be caught eavesdropping, she hurriedly left the hallway. Grabbing her jacket she headed out of the door, as her heart broke into pieces.

.....

He knew that she had been there, knew that she had heard the conversation. Even if he hadn't heard the soft footsteps stopping in the hallway, he would have been able to smell her scent haunting the space outside the door. He had wanted so much for her to be waiting for him as he emerged. Waiting to beg him to stay. Waiting to finally declare her everlasting love for him, and the perfect moment that would last forever. But that was the stuff of dreams and fairy tales told to impressionable children who would eventually realise that everything in the story told did not, in reality, happen, that there was no dream Prince, but a broken man with a half-life shared with a werewolf. He smiled cheerlessly. This was no Sleeping Beauty, merely a rendition of Little Red Riding Hood, and everyone now knew who the Big Bad Wolf was. But all wasn't lost to him. If he could only prove to Lunar that he was worthy of her love and trust. One act could be enough to win the affection he had longed for, all these years.

He stared blankly at the door for a moment, and then, as if struck by some remote force he headed for the door. In fairy stories there was only one way for the Prince to prove his love: to defeat the evil nemesis. It wouldn't be hard to track Avery down again….

"And this time I will not fail." Were Remus' last words before the door slammed shut.

"Remus?" Albus called out from the living area, after hearing the loud bang. "Was that…."? He trailed off as he entered the deserted hallway.

Katrina followed him out into the hallway and headed towards the kitchen. "Lunar is not in the kitchen either, and it doesn't look like she started to prepare any tea. There are no cups and the water is still cold."

"Maybe they've gone somewhere together? You know to work out their differences?" Sirius suggested tentatively.

"Yes, of course, and Grindylows might fly" Severus suggested acidly. "I thought pregnancy was supposed to affect the _woman's_ capacity for rational thought?"

Albus frowned. "Now is _not_ the time Severus. We have to find them both, and quickly. I have a terrible feeling."

.....

She hurried down the pavement, uselessly wiping at the never-ending tears that obscured her vision causing her to collide with several people heading in the other direction. Apologising more by habit than from real remorse she gave up on walking and dejectedly sat down with a bump on a bench overlooking a children's playground. She felt faint, and as if she was about to vomit, but this was a malady that even the expertise of Madam Pomfrey couldn't cure. She sniffed back the engulfing tears and stared into space trying to blank her mind from the heart-breaking knowledge that she possessed, but one stray malicious thought devastated her mind. He was leaving her. Going so far away that even Floo networks would be useless.

"What is Remus thinking?" She half-whispered to herself. Rashly wiping the tears from her eyes she took a deep breath. "Okay, I can do this. Why is Remus pulling away?" Pulling all her strength, and ministry of magic training, she began looking through all the facts. "Remus probably… no scratch that … almost certainly has feelings for me, possibly since Hogwarts. He is a werewolf. Sirius and Albus have known that he's a werewolf… and possibly Severus.. for a long time." She paused. "Sirius and Severus haven't been in contact with him since Hogwarts.. So he must have been one back then." She frowned as a thought struck her. "He couldn't possibly be that blind?" Years of acting the blonde bimbo, in it for good looks and money came crashing down on her. "He can't possibly think that I can't love him because he's a werewolf? Because he isn't perfect?" She jutted her jaw, and sighed exasperatedly. "That's why he wouldn't tell me, and why we're playing this stupid game of kiss chase. Well it's going to stop here." She stood up and headed purposefully towards the house. "You aren't getting away this time Remus. Oh no."

****

****

"Lunar!" She heard someone call out her name in relief and turned to see Katrina head towards her. "Lunar wait! Thank Merlin I found you!" Katrina grabbed her arm and started heading back towards the house with her. "Remus has gone missing again."

Lunar stopped dead, and looked at Katrina in disbelief. "What do you mean "gone missing"?"

"Come on!" Katrina continued to drag Lunar towards the house. "I mean what I say. Albus was the last person to see him."

She waved at Sirius, who had appeared in the distance, and he walked towards them. His face was a mixture of sadness and relief. "I think he's gone after Avery."

Loosening her arm from Katrina's, Lunar strode into the house and up the stairs. She grabbed her wand from its place on the bedside cabinet, and ran back downstairs to see everyone arrive at the news that she had been found. "We're going after him." She stated, and looked into everyone's eyes, daring them to argue.

Albus cleared his throat. "How are you intending to find him?" He asked subdued.

Frowning at everyone she pointed a finger at Sirius. "He's going to track him down. He's been friends with Remus forever, surely by now he can track his scent."

Albus took it upon himself to be the voice of reason and argued quietly. "And then what?"

"We fight." She grit her teeth together and growled. "Remus is not dying, understand. It's about time we showed him exactly how much he means to us, and exactly how stupid this going it alone attitude of his is."

Sirius looked at her with a mixture of astonishment and admiration. "I'm with you Lunar."

She nodded. "I never expected you not to be."

.....

A/N… Sighs.. I expect the torch and pitchfork mentality at this posting, and don't expect anyone to read after this long absence from

In my defence (and if anyone cares) I have passed my degree and graduate soon, leaving my life open to job hunting and fan fiction. My dissertation was handed in about three minutes before the deadline and also passed.

So I am truly sorry for ignoring this part of my life for such a long time and for leaving you hanging as to whether Lunar and Lupin truly belong together.

(although if you have gathered anything from reading my stories then you should know that a sad ending is not on the cards!)

Thankyou to litanya1, Ingenious, Rogue Misfit Marauder Jedi, and Annoriel and I hope you have persevered in checking up on my postings.

Thanks to anyone else who might be reading this!

Again forgive me and enjoy!

Until next time. Krusty.


	16. Sacrifice

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books****

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**Chapter 16**

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**Sacrifice **

They followed blindly. They followed Sirius with no idea where they were going, or what would happen when they got there. Several times Sirius turned his head to check on their progress, and each time was concerned by the whiteness of Lunar's face, her anxiety that they get to Remus in time spurring him on to hunt faster. Repeatedly the aroma of dusty books combined with a mixture of musky wolf scent and Remus' favourite brand of cologne (the same smell Sirius remembered from school) disappeared, and he was forced to retrace his steps, or search more carefully.

Sirius recalled the times that Remus had escaped from the Whomping Willow whilst in wolf form, and he James and Peter had traced his steps, making sure that no one was hurt. However this time there was no back up, no one to aid his sense of smell.

Lunar was flanked by Albus and Severus, who were there to support her. She neither cared nor paid attention to them, her worry and anger at Remus forcing her exhausted body to continue on the search. She glanced up at the waning moon and glared, why was it not full? She winced recalling Remus' state the last time he tried to fight Avery, the bruises and scars, still not healed, that covered his body. "Hurry." She whispered in fear. "We must reach him in time."

…………

He never thought this would be it, the place where his past actions would catch up with him. Avery looked around the deserted alley, the faint glow of lights from inside the muggle bar reflecting on the dewy stone floors. A barrage of broken bottles and empty barrels filed one corner blocking off one entrance to the alley, and the shadow of a man blocking the other. The stone wall and the high fence seemed to draw closer to Avery as he considered his options. The skip next to the fence could be used to jump over, and the shards of broken mirror left by the discarded stolen purse could be used to distract the….

"Accio mirror." The growl came from nowhere and the shards headed towards the cloaked man. "Reparo." The mirror came together in form and the cloaked man caught it and placed it in his pocket.

Avery's face shone brightly with nervous sweat as the cloaked man edged closer to him, every confident step a nail in his grave. Acting with all the measure of a death eater he boldly asked. "Who might you be? And what is it that you require from me?"

Remus let his cloak fly backward into the grimy floor of the alleyway behind the Rat and Toad (a notorious establishment, well known for its corrupt morals and debauched customers), and reached for his wand.

Avery smirked as he saw the face of his would-be attacker. "Back for more?" He queried menacingly. "Wasn't the last beating I gave you enough?"

Quick as lightning he reached inside his robes producing his ebony wand and cried maliciously: "Crucio!"

Unable to protect himself from the sudden onslaught Remus dropped to the floor as wave upon wave of pain hit his not yet healed body.

Pointing up to the sky Avery added. "And there's no full moon tonight to help you, freak." He grinned spitefully as his taunts hit their mark, causing Remus more anger then he had ever experienced.

Remus grit his teeth together and, still under the curse, shakily pushed himself to his unsteady feet. Racking pain shuddered through his body, but his determination and anger proved stronger as he managed to raise his trembling arm and wand to shoulder height and managed to blurt out a curse, knocking Avery from his feet and onto the floor of the alley.

The force of the fall caused Avery to end the Crucio curse, ashen-faced with fear he whispered. "No. It's not possible."

Remus grimaced as the final stab of pain wore away to a dull ache, and then turned his black-rimmed sunken eyes to his opponent. "No death eater buddies to save you this time." Anger flashed on his face. "Or is it just young, drunk helpless women that you cowards enjoy attacking?"

Looking around the grimy pitch of the dead end alley, Avery's slate grey eyes moved quickly from one place to another, desperately searching for a way to escape the obviously possessed wizard.

"Let's see how you fare in a fair duel, shall we?" Remus asked menacingly.

…………

Sirius stopped short as he heard Remus' unmistakable voice. Not willing to put his sister and pregnant wife into the middle of trouble he placed his nose to the ground, sniffing intently as if searching for something, all the time eavesdropping on the conversation. He heard the final challenge from Remus and unwilling to let his worried followers about the duel soon to take place he drifted in the opposite direction of the fight.

The sudden blast of light from the dingy alley ahead shocked the group. Lunar cast a look of scorn and reproach at her brother as she hurried forward, hell-bent on saving Remus. Either that or killing him herself for being so stupid.

She arrived in the alley to find Avery on his knees, face contorted into a grimace of pain as Remus looked on. "Wha…?" She hesitated in fear as Remus swung around to look at her, the look of utter satisfaction at Avery's position on his face turning to one of apprehension of being caught by Lunar.

"Remus… No." She sighed and turned away from the death eater's pain into the arms of her brother.

Taking advantage of the opportunity and the lack of attention he was getting Avery muttered a counter-curse with difficulty and reached for his wand, which had fallen from his grasp when the pain had hit him.

"Lunar." Remus reached out for her in despair at the look on her face, but she turned further from him. As if it were lead, he dropped his arm down by his side and tried to defend himself, like a man in front of a biased jury. "I… I had to do it. Not just for you, but … for us."

"Us?" The tears falling from Lunar's swollen eyes hit Remus more painfully then any spell, or any physical torment. "You would destroy everything good about yourself by killing him, for the sake of us? There could never be an us, not after you sank to his level."

Remus' shoulders sank in disgust at himself. "I had to prove to you, how much you mean to me."

Making sure all attention was focused on the unhappy couple, Avery managed to slowly and painfully grasp the wand, hissing as his bruised knuckles wrapped themselves around the small structure, and he gradually drew it back towards his chest.

Raising her chin up, Lunar looked straight into Remus' eyes. "I am not worth it."

"No." Remus agreed. "You are worth more than this. You deserve more than I can give."

Avery turned his beady eyes to Lunar; she was the one that caused this in the first place. "Avada…" He began and pointed his wand at Lunar. She blanched as realisation struck. "NO!" The yell came from several places at once but only Remus was fast enough to run in front of Lunar and attempt to protect her from the now finished curse that was making it's way towards her…

………

"She should wake up at any moment." Were the first words Lunar heard in her half-dreamlike state. It came from an unknown source somewhere in a light-filled room. She attempted to open her eyes but the light burnt them with every attempt. Groaning softly she tried to shield the light from her face with her arms, but found herself unable to move them. "Not again…" She murmured in distress.

"Lunar?" Sirius rushed past the young doctor and held her hand. "Are you okay?"

"The light." She mumbled. Seconds later realisation hit as someone shut the blinds softly. "You can hear me? I'm not under the curse again?"

A young man with brown eyes and black hair, she could only assume was the doctor, approached the bed and shone a bright light into her eyes. Disconcerted he asked. "Curse?"

"The cage curse." Pat told the doctor.

"No Lune, you aren't under the cage curse." Sirius calmly told her. "The force of hitting the alley floor caused a concussion."

"My arms?" She asked still in the half-dozy condition not unable to fully understand her situation.

"Ah…" The doctor muttered as if her confusion has suddenly clarified. "You broke your arm in the fall, nothing major, and it has now been healed, but we had to restrain you so you wouldn't move during the healing process." He murmured the counter-curse and a great weight lifted from Lunar's dead arms and legs. As if needing reassurance she quickly moved all her muscles in turn, and relaxed against the pillow when everything checked out fine.

"A few quick questions before I leave you alone…" The doctor said with a small smile. "What is your name?"

"Lunar Black" She said slowly, not quite understanding why he asked such a simple question.

"And this man is?" He asked motioning to her brother.

"Sirius Black my brother. And that is Pat his wife." She rashly added, impatient to finish the inquisition.

"One final question." He said, with the annoyingly calm neutral tone verging on the patronising. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Sirius squeezed her hand tightly as her mind flashed through the last few minutes before becoming unconscious; her pale face became green-tinged as the enormity of what had happened occurred to her. "Remus!" She exclaimed. "What happened to Remus?" She searched her faulty memory for clues. "Avery was there…" She motioned to a spot of air in front of her. "He performed the killing curse, aimed at me. Remus…" She stopped and swallowed as bile rushed to her throat. "Remus..." Her unwilling eyes turned to Sirius, wanting to see the comfort in them. "Remus was in front of me, falling backwards. Between me and the curse." Tears ran down her face in disbelief. "What happened to Remus?"

"You gave us a bit of a scare." The familiar drawl came from somewhere else in the room. Lunar struggled with her battered body willing it to sit up and scan the room around her.

Half-sat up in a bed beside her Remus was attached to various monitors, which floated around him like a shield. A clear magic shield was around the bed.

"He would not leave your side." The disgruntled doctor said, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. "He should be in a special ward for neutropenic1 patients. This barrier was erected when it was obvious that he wouldn't leave you."

Remus grimaced at the doctor not at all apologetically, and explained to Lunar. "It stops any bugs getting to me."

Lunar's brain swam in circles, elated that Remus survived. "But how… Can the killing curse be survived?"

Remus smiled slowly (and in pain). "I was prepared to sacrifice myself for you. However it didn't quite work out that way."

She frowned at Remus. "I don't want you to ever think that way again. For one reason I am not worth sacrificing for, another reason is I couldn't live without you."

"You are worth more that you will ever know." Remus said, his face and eyes conveying his love. "And as soon as the doctor says I can leave, you and I are going somewhere no-one can find us. Providing your brother agrees that is."

Sirius smiled. "Of course, I think you've had enough interruptions for this lifetime. And I also think you've kept my sister in suspense for long enough. Tell her how you survived."

Remus looked suitably chastised. "I had a mirror in my coat pocket." He told Lunar truthfully.

Albus entered the room flanked by Severus and Katrina. "We came as soon as we got the message. Nice to see you awake Lunar."

"A mirror?" Lunar asked sceptically. "That's all?"

Albus chuckled. "So you've only just told her?" He smiled at Lunar. "Research into mirrors has been carried out for some time. Even Harry used one to deflect the power of Voldemort in his first year. It seems that as long as some sort of charm or spell is used on them then it reflects any spells aimed at it. In Harry's case the mirror in question was the Mirror of Erised. For Remus…"

"I used a Reparo spell on it. Avery was looking at it as if he was going to use the shards against me. I had completely forgotten it was in my pocket; but, thank Merlin, it was." Remus continued the story.

"The spell was reflected? Then Avery…." She continued.

"He won't bother you again." Remus reassured her. "Something I don't intend to do."

"I think I can live with that." Lunar smiled contentedly, safe in the love surrounding her.

* * *

1 Neutropenic – A medical term meaning they are more at risk from infections than any one else. Just in case you didn't know. (I know… it took me a long time to swallow the dictionary.) 


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